USC Aiken sees results on mound from its workhorse
Former Evans Pitcher Steve Dunham worked a little overtime last weekend for the University of South Carolina Aiken. The senior scattered nine hits over 10 innings of work Friday as the 27th-ranked Pacers edged No. 25 Georgia College & State University, 4-3.
Dunham struck out nine while walking only two batters as he moved his record to 4-1 on the season. Dunham's ERA is below 3.00,and he leads the Pacers in strikeouts.
The iron-man performance by Dunham helped USC Aiken win the first game of the weekend three-game series with their conference foe. The win also helped guide the Pacers to a three-game sweep over the Bobcats, winning each game by a single run.
As a junior, Dunham's 2-7 record was misleading. He was second on the team with a 3.46 ERA and tossed four complete games in just 10 starts.
This season Dunham has been dominant on the mound, plus he's getting much better run support than he did a year ago. Dunham could be a sleeper to watch for this year's Major League Baseball draft in June.
Dunham got some help from his fellow Columbia County natives who suit up for the Pacers. In all, seven other Columbia County players saw action this weekend, including:
Robert Davis (Greenbrier) had four hits and four RBIs in the series; Brandon Baranie (Evans), four hits and three RBIs; and Nick Wandless (Greenbrier), 2.1 scoreless innings in game three of the series for the save.
Tilton has a solid weekend for the Owls
Kennesaw State's men's golf team is currently ranked 16th in the nation and this past weekend they showed their mettle against some major Division I competition.
Playing in the Bradford Creek Intercollegiate Championship, the Owls finished seventh in a field loaded with Division I teams. Of the six schools that finished ahead of Kennesaw St., only one was not a Division I school.
Former Evans standout Zac Tilton had his best performance of the year as the low scorer for the Owls with a 15th-place finish. Tilton, now a junior, carded rounds of 71-73 to finish even par.
Tilton and his teammates are playing in the Bobcat Invitational this week. Georgia College & State University is playing host to the tournament. The event will be played at Cuscowilla Golf Club in Greensboro, Ga.
Pack win over Evans shows county's strength
A lot has been made over Greenbrier knocking off Evans this past week. The Knights, ranked No. 1 in AAAA since the preseason, have been struggling with the bats the past few games.
Many folks left the game thinking the Knights might be overrated and that the Wolfpack is still the top dog in Columbia County baseball.
To this, I say slow down.
The victory was obviously a huge win for a Greenbrier team trying to prove that they are still a threat in AAAA. I think more than anything it shows how strong baseball in the county remains.
I keep waiting for us to have a down year, but it has not come in the past 20 years or so.
Harlem's win over Lakeside earlier this year was another example of the talent level of our baseball. The fact that our teams face one another so many times during the season will only help prepare each team for whatever they might see come playoff time.