Pioneers Rally Past CIU, 9-1, in AAC Tournament Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CIU (SC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
|
Spartanburg Methodist | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | 9 | 14 | 1 |
The No. 4 seed Spartanburg Methodist College baseball team overcame an early 1-0 deficit, scoring the game's next nine runs to defeat No. 9 seed Columbia International, 9-1, in the opening round of the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament.
The Pioneers (25-22), making their first appearance in the tournament, settled in after the early run allowed and rode a strong performance from pitcher Travis Dannecker. SMC tallied 14 hits over the next seven innings to secure the win. Dannecker allowed two hits and one run early, then gave up six additional hits while striking out four en route to his fourth complete game of the season, improving to 5-4 on the year.
At the plate, Brady Jeffcoat, Elijah Franz, and Jarian Pinckney each recorded three hits to pace the offense. It marked the seventh time in the last eight games that SMC has produced double-digit hits—winning seven of those contests.
Trailing 1-0 in the second inning, the Pioneers responded with five runs on six hits in the bottom half of the frame. Franz highlighted the inning with a two-RBI single as SMC sent nine batters to the plate.
Blake Exizian extended the lead with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to make it 6-1. SMC added three more runs in the seventh on three hits. Earlier in the inning, Columbia International loaded the bases with one out, but Dannecker and the defense turned a key double play to end the threat.
With the win, SMC advances in the double-elimination tournament and will face the winner of the Milligan-Bryan game on Thursday, April 30 at noon at Hunter Wright Stadium in Kingsport, Tennessee.
