CARY, N.C. - William Peace erased what looked like an early runaway Wednesday afternoon, cutting a 12 run deficit down to three before ultimately falling 15-12 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.
Hampden-Sydney jumped out to a 13-1 lead through the first three innings, capitalizing on walks and timely hits. The Pacers responded in the bottom of the third, plating five runs to shift momentum. Owen Schmidt delivered a two run single and Pete Maldonado added a two run knock as Peace trimmed the gap to 7.
The comeback continued in the fifth. After Eddie Sanchez and Hayden Heath reached, Gavin Turner ripped a double down the right field line to bring in a run. Leland Barrow followed with an RBI single, and a throwing error allowed another run to score as the Pacers pulled within two.
The Tigers added two insurance runs in the seventh, but Peace did not go quietly. Jacob Herzberg tripled in the ninth and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Kyle Peters to make it 15-12 before the rally came to an end.
Heath finished with two hits and two runs scored, while Turner went 2 for 4 with a double and two runs. Despite the early deficit, the Pacers tallied 11 hits and forced the visitors to use five pitchers in a tightly contested finish.
Peace will now turn its focus for their first away series of the season, as they travel to Roanoke for a double header on Saturday, February 28th.Â
