AMERICUS, Ga. -- The Georgia Southwestern State University baseball team dropped the final two games of its weekend Peach Belt Conference series against the University of South Carolina Aiken at Hurricane Stadium. After taking the opener on Friday, GSW lost Game 2, 5-4, on Saturday and the rubber game, 8-1, on Sunday.
GSW exits the weekend with a 4-18 overall record and a 1-14 mark in Peach Belt play. USC Aiken improved to 17-8 overall, 8-4 in the PBC. The Hurricanes have lost 18 of the last 20 games against USCA.
Up Next: GSW hosts Middle Georgia State University (23-9) on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
GAME 2 (Saturday): USCA 5, GSW 4
Both starting pitchers cruised threw the first four innings of Game 2. The teams combined for only four hits during that span. USCA was the first to break through with a pair of runs in the fifth inning. The Pacers scored despite not tallying a hit in the inning. A hit batter, two-base throwing error and sacrifice fly led to the USCA runs.
GSW was held scoreless until the seventh. The Hurricanes put together six singles in the frame, including five in a row after two outs, to take a 4-2 lead. Devin Shea, Jason Baita had RBI hits and Josh Logan drove in a pair.
The Pacers answered quickly with three runs the next half inning. A one-out, two-run single by Conner Durden tied the game and he wound up a third after a mistimed dive in the outfield by GSW allowed him to advance two extra bases after the hit. Durden scored the game-winning run on the next USCA at bat off a sacrifice fly.
Shea and Jonathan Martin finished with two hits apiece to lead the Hurricanes.
Starter Mitch Holloway (1-5) suffered the loss after 7 1/3 innings of work despite surrendering only one earned run. Holloway walked one and struck out six. Harrison Timberlake tossed 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. He walked one and struck out two.
GAME 3 (Sunday): USCA 8, GSW 1
The Pacers scored in three of the first four innings of the finale. USCA opened with two runs in the first after compiling two hits, two walks and one batter was hit by a pitch.
After scoring a run in the third inning, the final blow came in the fourth when USCA erupted for six hits and pushed across its final five runs. Daulton Weeks highlighted the inning with a two-run blast over the left field wall, his second home run of the weekend.
GSW left two runners on base in the second, third and fourth innings and stranded 11 in the game. The Hurricanes lone run came in the sixth inning.
Shea was the only GSW batter to record multiple hits on Sunday. He finished 2-for-4 in the finale and had five hits in the series.
GSW starter Kyle Spinks (0-4) suffered the loss after 3 1/3 innings of work. Matt Hubbard pitched 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Jared Donalson and Sage Holderfield closed out the game on the hill as both threw a scoreless inning. All three relief pitchers had two strikeouts apiece.