All nine starters hit safely and collected RBI, as the USC Salkehatchie baseball team tallied 20 hits in a 20-6 win over the Coker College JV team on Monday afternoon. The win marked the third victory in a row for the Indians and pushed their season record to 4-10-1.USC Salkehatchie opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, when Jeremiah Jackson (Elgin, SC) led off the game with a bunt single and scored on an RBI single from Korey Ahrens (Newberry, SC). Coker evened the score with a run in their half of the second inning, but the Indians plated two runs in the second and four in the third to grab a 7-1 lead.
Trevor Richter (North Augusta, SC) got USC Salkehatchie on the board in the second with a two-run homerun to left. A sacrifice fly from Aaron Davis (Augusta, GA) opened the scoring in the third, and Joc Brunson (Columbia, SC) wrapped up the inning with a three-run homerun to deep left-center.
The Cobras cut the lead to 7-4 in the top of the fourth, but back-to-back doubles from Ahrens and Robbie Assemany (Chapin, SC) in the bottom of the inning extended the USC Salkehatchie advantage to 8-4.
Coker plated a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, but 8-6 would be as close as the Cobras would get.
The Indians responded in the bottom of the fifth with seven runs, giving them a 15-6 edge. After USC Salkehatchie loaded the bases with no outs, Jeremiah Jackson and Tyler Reboulet (Fishers, IN) got the inning going with back-to-back two-run singles. The Indians added three more runs on RBI hits from Assemany, Jayvon Sanders (Rembert, SC), and Caleb Brazell (Blythewood, SC).
USC Salkehatchie put the game away with a five-run sixth inning that was highlighted by a two-run double off the bat of Joc Brunson.
Nine Indian hurlers threw in the contest, with Casey Thompson (Winston, GA) picking up the win after tossing a scoreless third inning. In addition to Thompson, Griffin Spires (West Columbia, SC), DJ Lawson (Ladson, SC), Matt Lightsey (Williston, SC), Ryan Rowe (Newberry, SC), and Bobby Wilkins (Gaffney, SC) each recorded scoreless innings on the mound. Lawson, Lightsey, Rowe, and Wilkins combined to retire 12 of the final 13 Cobra hitters.
Robbie Assemany and Joc Brunson led the offensive explosion for USC Salkehatchie. Assemany finished 4-5, with a walk, two doubles, three runs scored, and two RBI. Brunson was 2-4, with a walk, a double, a homerun, three runs scored, and five RBI.
USC Salkehatchie (4-10-1, 2-1-1) returns to Region X play this weekend with a four-game set at Guilford Technical Community College. The two teams are scheduled to play doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday, with action slated to begin at 1:00 on both days. Visit www.uscsalkathletics.com for all the latest on the Indians.
