Ninth-inning magic drives Baseball past USC-Aiken in season opener

AIKEN, South Carolina - Trailing 9-3 heading into the eighth inning, the American International College baseball team defied the odds, scoring eight runs in the final two frames to stun the University of South Carolina-Aiken 11-9 in its season opener.

The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a lead three batters in; Brendan Edvardsen worked a leadoff walk and then swiped second, coming around to score when Jackson Haker drove a single through the middle.

The lead held until the third, when the Paces hit a sacrifice fly to score JB Bell. An inning later, Bell came to the dish with the bags packed and singled down the left field line to drive in two, giving the home team a 3-1 lead.

In the fifth, AIC loaded the bases with no outs. Tyler Ziemak singled, Yeudy Ramirez was hit by a ptich, and Ryan Lavelle reached on an error. Kiernan Caffrey hit a sacrifice fly to bring Ziemak home, and Haker singled to left to bring Ramirez home and tie the game.

The Pacers just as quickly untied it, with an RBI grounder by Kaden Usry that came with men on the corners in the bottom half of that inning.

Things went sideways for AIC in the seventh; the Pacers opened with two singles and a walk, and Luke Parker drove a double to right to drive in two runs. A balk, double, and single later, and five runs had come across, bringing the Pacers lead to 9-3.

Facing a significant deficit, the Yellow Jackets offense went to work. Haker smacked a one-out single to left center, and Nick Serce followed with his first hit in an AIC uniform, doubling down the left field line. Haker ultimately scored on a wild pitch, and Serce came home as Chad Lavelle reached on an error, cutting the lead to 9-5.

After Hayden Magliano worked a scoreless eighth, inducing a double play to end the frame, Ramirez and Ryan Lavelle started off with back-to-back walks. Edvardsen singled to left to load the bags and put the tying run at the dish in Kiernan Caffrey. The left fielder took one on the elbow, forcing in Ramirez. Two batters later, Serce floated a single just over his first-base counterpart to plate both Edvardsen and Ryan Lavelle.

Josh Frometa overcame a 2-2 count to walk, reloading the bases for Chad Lavelle and force a pitching change for the Pacers. It did no good for the home team, as the first pitch Jaylen Merchant threw hit AIC's second baseman, pushing Caffrey home to tie the game. Ziemak then skipped a grounder to the right side, and though the defense put Chad Lavelle out at second, AIC's catcher beat the throw, allowing Serce to put AIC ahead 10-9. Frometa then scored from third on a wild pitch, giving AIC valuable insurance.

Newcomer Tim Krol was called on to close the game out. He made the first putout himself, drawing a grounder to Serce that he covered. The Pacers put up a fight, with two singles, the latter an infield single, and a walk to load the bases with two outs, but Krol drew a short fly from Dalton Graves that Edvardsen caught to close out the comeback win.

Magliano earned the win with the one inning of work, with Krol taking the save. Ethan Teixeira's start lasted four innings, as he allowed three runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts, and Alex Perez allowed a run on two hits in relief over two frames, but fanned four.