AIKEN, S.C. —
Derek Espinoza delivered a standout performance against his former program Saturday afternoon, tossing the first complete game of his collegiate career to lead Georgia Southwestern to a 6-3 victory over the University of South Carolina Aiken in the second game of a three-game Peach Belt Conference series.
Espinoza, who spent the previous three seasons in Aiken before joining the Hurricanes, allowed just one earned run across nine innings while striking out five without issuing a walk.
GSW improved to 15-10 overall and 8-3 in conference play, while USC Aiken slipped to 17-8 and 7-4 in the PBC.
Espinoza Goes the Distance
Facing his former teammates, Espinoza turned in his longest outing of the season and needed only 91 pitches to complete the nine-inning effort.
The right-hander scattered eight hits but consistently worked out of trouble, stranding runners in scoring position in the sixth and eighth innings to keep the Hurricanes within striking distance.
Espinoza lowered his season ERA to 2.59 with the victory.
Pacers Strike Early
USCA jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning after taking advantage of a pair of GSW errors.
Evan Harding reached on a single and later scored on an RBI single from Yariel Diaz before Salvatore Laimo added a sacrifice fly to give the Pacers the early advantage.
USCA added another run in the fourth when Johann Rodriguez lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to extend the lead to 3-0.
Hurricanes Begin the Comeback
The Hurricanes chipped away in the sixth inning.
Drake Harman ignited the rally with a double down the right-field line before
Kelsen Johnson followed with an RBI single to center field, trimming the deficit to 3-1.
Five-Run Eighth Turns the Game
GSW broke through in a big way in the eighth inning.
Jacob Reeves opened the frame with a double before
Caleb Gipson singled to put runners on the corners. Harman then delivered an RBI single to bring the Hurricanes within a run.
After a walk to Johnson loaded the bases,
Devon Murphy drew a walk of his own to force in the tying run.
Josh McDonald followed with a two-run single to center field to give GSW its first lead of the afternoon before
Edwin Melendez added a sacrifice fly to cap the five-run inning and make it 6-3.
Hurricanes Close It Out
Espinoza handled the rest.
After stranding a runner at third in the eighth inning, he retired the Pacers in order in the ninth to seal the victory and even the series heading into Sunday's finale.
Streaks Continue for Hurricanes
Several Hurricanes continued impressive stretches at the plate.
Harman reached base safely for the 16th consecutive game, while Johnson and Murphy both extended their on-base streaks to 20 games.
Next Up
GSW will look to secure the series victory Sunday afternoon as the Hurricanes wrap up the three-game conference set against USCA at 1 p.m.
