SMC Pulls Out 8-4 Win

Chester, SC – Ben Boykin (Fort Mill HS) went 3 for 4 and Travis Burnside (Laurens HS) homered to highlight a three-run eighth inning as SMC pulled away late in an 8-4 road win over USC Lancaster on Wednesday. The Pioneers improved to 29-10 overall with the victory.

SMC starter Corey Rhoney (East Burke, NC HS) got into trouble in the bottom of the second, as the Lancers used a pair of walks, a base hit, a sacrifice fly, and an error on a fly ball in the gap to get on the board with three runs, though just one was earned.

The Pioneer offense didn't take long to answer. Parker Hudson (Mauldin HS) singled through the middle to lead off the third, and Champ Rowland (Wade Hampton HS) doubled to right-center to drive him in with the first SMC run. Burnside's ground out moved Rowland up a base, and a single to right by Seth Neely (Rock Hill HS) scored him. Tyler Jackson (Robert E. Lee Academy) bounced a double off the fence in left-center, putting runners at second and third with one out. Neely scored on a wild pitch to tie the game, and Luke Tollison (Laurens Academy) lined a base hit to center, plating Jackson with the go-ahead run. A pair of flyouts ended the SMC threat, but not before they had taken a 4-3 lead.

Both teams struggled to get anything going for the next few innings. Ryan Gunther (Stratford HS) came on in relief in the third and held the Lancers scoreless until the sixth, when Lancaster tacked on a run. Gunther surrendered a leadoff walk, and a passed ball moved the runner to second before a base hit to left tied the game at 4. Lefthander Logan Pemberton (Lewisville HS) got the call from the bullpen one out later and finished the frame for the Pioneers, allowing no further damage.

SMC broke the tie in the top of the seventh with a run of their own, as Neely drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and scored on Boykin's two-out single, giving them a 5-4 lead.

The Pioneers added three insurance runs in the eighth with a little help from the Lancers. Rowland reached on an error by the shortstop with no outs, and Burnside deposited a 3-2 pitch over the center field fence for a two-run homer, his sixth of the season. Neely followed that up with a double down the left field line, sending Lancaster to their bullpen for the fourth time on the day. After a strikeout, the Lancers again fell victim to miscues, as Tollison reached on an error by the second baseman and Boykin drew a walk, reaching base for the fourth time. Cody Martin's (Stephens Co., GA HS) soft groundout to third plated another SMC run, making it 8-4. Another groundout ended the Pioneer threat with runners at second and third, but the SMC bullpen would make the lead stand up.

Pemberton threw a perfect eighth, and Ronnie Kleinbach (Batavia, NY HS) and Jared Keels (Spring Valley HS) combined for a scoreless ninth to seal the 8-4 win.

Boykin (3-4, RBI), Burnside (2-5, HR, 2 RBI), Neely (2-5, 2B, RBI), and Hudson (2 for 2) all had multi-hit games for the Pioneers.

Pemberton (2-0) earned the win with 2.2 innings of relief. He struck out three, walked one, and did not surrender a hit.

The Pioneers will be back in action on Saturday and Sunday, hosting Louisburg in a four-game Region X series. First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm.  

Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The College is in its 100th academic year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.
 
For more information please contact athletic director Mark Perdue at (864) 587-4237.