CARY, NC - Game one:
The Pacers faced what might wind up being the most important day of the season on a sunny, pollen-filled day at the National Training Complex. The Pacers started their double header against NC Wesleyan by getting on the scoreboard early.
Alex Levesque singled in Gavin Turner to put the Pacers ahead in the bottom of the first. The early run seemed to relax senior starting pitcher Jarret Hall, who rolled through Wesleyan hitters in the first four innings.
The Pacers would pad their lead in the bottom of the 4th when Jacob Herzberg and Justin Earle both drove in runs, growing the Pacer advantage to 3. The insurance runs proved important as the bishops were able to scratch a run off of Hall in the 5th.
Peace would get back at it in the bottom of the 6th, as base hits from Jacob Herzberg and Caden French came around to score via multiple Wesleyan passed balls.
Pacer hurler Jarret Hall through into the 7th, cashing in a quality start in a crucial game. Hall was chased from the contest with 2 bishop runs, cutting the lead to 5-3. Derrick Collins would relieve Hall and finish the 7th.
Peace plated one more run when Adam Joseph roped a single up the middle, scoring Nick Tubolino. The 6-3 lead was handed to Ethan Hummel, who would trot on for the two-inning save.
Hummel would only let one across, on a controversial balk call, but otherwise shut the door. The save was secured for the sophomore, and the Pacers evened the series, winning 6-4.
Game Two:
The rubber match of the series carried large implications. A win for the Pacers would mean they would tie the bishops for 6th place in the conference standings and hold the tiebreaker via the head to head series win.
The Pacers would once again get off to a quick start as Ian Turner and Griffin Sandstrum each drove in runs, placing an early 2 on the scoreboard. Pacer starting pitcher Max Kasprowicz has a different reaction to the early lead, giving up a 4 spot to the bishops in the top of the second.
Understanding the importance of this game, the Pacer offense had all the answers, scratching a run in the third on an RBI single from Alex Levesque, who was red hot in this one.
The major inning came in the bottom of the third, when Peace exploded for 5 in the frame. A couple of 2 RBI doubles by Jacib Herzberg and Alex Levesque, accompanied by an RBI single by Gavin Turner accounted for the hit parade, blowing the game open within the first hour of play.
Ryan Manning would relieve Kasprowicz, and have a stellar outing. In what wound up playing out as a start, Manning threw 6.1 innings of 1-run baseball, securing the 8-5 win for the Pacers. Peace climbs up to that coveted 6th spot in the USA South standings.
A rivalry win, a tournament spot for the moment, and a surplus of momentum is just what the doctor ordered for Pacer fans. Peace travels to Southern Virginia next weekend, with another chance to continue the momentum, and play some standings leapfrogging.
