Pioneers Split Friday Doubleheader

Allendale, SC – The Pioneers split on the first day of their Region X series at USC Salkehatchie, dropping a 2-1 game in the opener before bouncing back to win the nightcap, 6-0.

In game one, starter Ben Carlson (Mauldin HS) pitched well in a hard-luck loss, as the offense never could get things going.

USC Salkehatchie scratched out a run in the first inning to take an early lead. The Indians got a one-out base hit, bouncing a ground ball through the right side, and followed that with a stolen base to get into scoring position. A soft line drive fell in center field for another hit, putting runners at the corners, and a sacrifice fly to right plated the game's first run.

Offensively, the Pioneers struggled to put together a scoring threat, not getting a runner to second base until the fourth inning, when Luke Tollison (Laurens Academy) and Ben Boykin (Nations Ford HS) singled back-to-back with two outs. But a soft flyout ended the SMC half-inning with the Pioneers still trailing 1-0.

USC Salkehatchie picked up another run on a solo homer to left field to lead off the bottom of the fifth.

Trailing 2-0, the Pioneers finally got on the board in the top of the sixth. Travis Burnside (Laurens HS) reached on an error, and Reggie Weatherford's (Lake City HS) single to right-center put runners on the corners with no outs. Tyler Jackson (Robert E. Lee Academy) lined a base hit to left, scoring Burnside and cutting the deficit to 2-1. Tollison's sacrifice bunt moved both runners up a base, but the Pioneers couldn't cash in on the opportunity, grounding out softly to third before striking out to end their half-inning.

SMC didn't threaten in the seventh, as they were retired in order to fall by a 2-1 final score.

Carlson (7-3) got tagged with the loss despite pitching his seventh complete game. He scattered six hits and surrendered two earned runs. He walked one batter and struck out three. 

Weatherford went 2 for 3, recording the only multi-hit game for SMC.  

In game two, Jake Long (T.L. Hanna HS) threw a three-hit shutout, and Jackson and Parker Hudson (Mauldin HS) each had a big game at the plate to lead the Pioneers to a 6-0 win.

Hudson hit his first homer of the season, a solo shot to right, with two outs in the second to start the scoring. The Pioneers tacked on another run to make it 2-0 in the top of the third. Weatherford drew a one-out walk, and Jackson smoked a double to deep right-center to score him.

The Pioneers were quiet again until the sixth, when they plated three more runs to take a 5-0 lead. Champ Rowland (Wade Hampton HS) singled to left to lead off the inning. Johnny Ponder (Byrnes HS) walked, and Hudson bounced a double down the right field line, scoring Rowland. A wild pitch allowed the Pioneers to tack on another run and moved Hudson to third, setting up Dacen Cash's (Stephens Co., GA HS) RBI groundout.

SMC scored one more run in the seventh to make it 6-0. With one out, Tollison doubled over the head of the Indians' center fielder. He advanced to third on a groundout to the right side, and scored on Rowland's two-out double down the left field line.

Long (5-2) worked around a one-out hit in the seventh to cruise to the complete game victory. He sat down the first eleven batters he faced to start the game before surrendering an infield hit with two outs in the fourth. He allowed just three hits, all singles, and struck out six batters while walking one in his first career shutout.  

Jackson (3-4, 2 doubles, RBI) and Hudson (2-2, home run, double, 2 RBI) led the 10-hit attack for the Pioneers.

The Pioneers will conclude the final Region X series of the season on Saturday at USC Salkehatchie with a doubleheader starting at 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.