SMC Baseball Swept USC Lancaster
SMC Baseball swept their second consecutive conference weekend with 4 wins against USC Lancaster. The Pioneers put on an offensive clinic scoring 73 runs in the 4 game series.
Game 1 Saturday (15-3) The Pioneers had 18 hits, Moser, Pendergrass, and Young with 3 hits each. 4 of the 18 hits were HR’s 2 coming from Brandon Moser. Graham Edwards got the start and was solid, as he’s been all year. The Liberty commit threw a 6-inning complete game allowing 1 earned run.
Game 2 (30-5) The bats continued to stay hot and then some. SMC scored 30 runs on 28 hits and 2 USC-Lancaster errors. McFarland and Pendergrass led the team with 4 hits each, both hitting a HR as well. McFarland also had 7 RBIs. Braison Bourne picked up his first win of the year going 4 innings.
Game 3 (15-2). The first game Sunday morning was much of the same. The Pioneers had 20 hits, scoring 15 runs on no USC-Lancaster errors. Multiple-hit games up and down the lineup with Goodson and Moser both leaving the yard for HRs. BJ Bailey put together another good outing, picking up his 3rd win of the year. The lefty had 9 Ks through 5 innings of work, in a run-ruled shortened complete game.
Game 4 (13-3) Secured the sweep. Campbell and McFarland led the team with 3 hits each. Gray Hollingsworth hit the lone HR of the game. JJ Shelton picked up his 2nd win of the year going 4.1 allowing no earned runs. Baker Cox came in and shut the door securing the sweep and the run-rule.
A’Shani McFarland was the top offensive performer of the weekend going 12/15 at the plate with a HR and 14 RBI’s.
SMC is now 20-11 on the year and 11-1 in Region play. The Pioneers are now hitting .340 as a team which is good for 12th in the country. The pitching staff has a combined 3.99 ERA which is 24th in the country. Dariyan Pendergrass is hitting .486 on the year putting him 2nd in NJCAA D1 in hitting. The “Neers” look to stay hot this week and are back in action Wednesday night as they head north on I-85 to take on Gaston College for a double-header in Gastonia, NC. This weekend is a bye week in region play, but SMC will host Guilford Tech at home on Saturday in another non-conference double-header.
