AIKEN, S.C. – Trying to make a final push in the top of the ninth inning to pick up the series sweep, the No. 14 Newberry College (14-3) baseball team fell just short of that goal as they dropped the Sunday finale by a 4-3 score to the Pacers of USC Aiken on February 27.
Sophomore Henry Gibson (Walterboro, S.C.) and senior Beau Thompson (Pickens, S.C.) were the only two members of the starting line-up to turn in an RBI on the day. The Wolves scattered eight hits in the contest, three of which came from Thompson with another two coming from redshirt-junior Braylin Marine (Freeport, N.Y.).
Freshman Tyler Chinpire (Jupiter, Fla.) took the unfortunate loss on the afternoon for the Wolves, though he only allowed two runs on two hits, striking out three along the way.
Like every game in the series, the contest opened slow offensively looking like a pitcher's duel would be on tap yet again as only one runner would find their way into scoring position in the opening two innings of action. While a two-out single and a defensive miscue in the top the third would allow Newberry to get the second runner of the day into scoring position, they were unable to capitalize, and the Pacers posted the first run of the day in the bottom of the inning to take the 1-0 lead.
Each team posted a single hit in the fourth and the Wolves would draw another hit in the top of the fifth, but neither squad posted anything but a zero on the line score until the bottom of the sixth when USC Aiken notched another run to extend their lead out to 2-0. The two teams went scoreless in the seventh, but the final two half innings for each squad would be the most exciting of the contest.
After the Pacers posted two more runs in the bottom of the eighth and were able to get two-outs on the Wolves in the top of the ninth, the hopes of a come back win were beginning to dwindle. But that's when the walk bug started to get into the blood of the Aiken pitching staff as two sets of a pair of walks were sandwiched by a hit batter to bring around two runs for the Wolves and made it just a one run game. However, the Scarlet and Gray were forced to leave the bags loaded and just short of the comeback as the Pacers were able to draw the third out, taking home the 4-3 win.
The Wolves hit the road for a mid-week game against perennial Conference Carolinas powerhouse Mount Olive on Wednesday night before returning home to open up South Atlantic Conference play with a three-game series with the Saints of Limestone University over the weekend.
