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Box Score 2 AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Augusta Jaguars met rival USC Aiken for the first time of the season on Wednesday afternoon and won a 3-0 shutout in game one before taking the second 7-1 in Peach Belt Conference play.
Augusta (14-26, 3-9 PBC) blanked the Pacers (20-10, 4-4 PBC) in game one and outhit them 10-2 to blowout the second meeting.
Back-to-back infield singles put two runners on for Augusta to start the fourth inning of game one and senior Casey Rowland lined a three-run homer over left field for a lasting 3-0 advantage.
Rowland was 4-7 on the day to pace the Jags.
Augusta senior lefty Haley Birkle (5-8) held USCA scoreless in her complete-game win where she matched her season-high eight strikeouts.
Rowland led Augusta with three RBI in a 1-3 performance, as Augusta totaled six hits to the Pacers' three. Sophomores Carolyn Edwards and Ashley Boyd and junior Brianna Dickens each went 1-2 for the Jags in game one.
USCA's Taylor Morgan (11-6) logged six innings and surrendered three runs on three hits in the loss.
In the second meeting of the day, Aiken played small ball and bunted a runner to third with one out in the opening inning and scored first on an opposite-field groundball.
Rowland rallied for another hit to start the second inning with a double to right center. She reached third on a sacrifice bunt and a suicide squeeze bunt off the bat of Auburn Balcorta tied the game at 1-1.
Rowland struck her third hit of the day down the left-field line in the third inning to plate sophomore Lindsey Stokes and put Augusta on top 2-1 and the rally was sparked.
Paige Deschaine (7-9) got her seventh win with her 10th complete game of the year. Deschaine struck out six and only gave up two hits.
Rowland reigned at the plate again with a 3-4 outing with two more RBI and two runs, while Edwards was 2-4 with two RBI in game two.
USCA game-two starter Chandler Terrapin (5-4) allowed four hits for two runs before game-one starter Taylor Morgan went back to the mound.
The Jags tacked on two more in the fifth and sixth to win the 7-1 final.
Augusta travels to UNC Pembroke in Pembroke, N.C., for a Peach Belt doubleheader on Saturday, April 2 beginning at 1:00 p.m.
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