AIKEN, S.C. – Jancarlos Cintron delivered a clutch two-out, two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning as top-ranked Nova Southeastern salvaged the series with a much-needed 6-5 win over No. 3 South Carolina-Aiken on Saturday.
The Pacers appeared in line to complete the sweep after taking a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the eighth. However, as it has all season, the Shark offense showed up in a big way at an opportune time. In a pinch-hit role, Brendan Cutting rose to the occasion with a double to right to keep the ball game alive before Cintron stunned the USC-Aiken crowd with a no-doubt shot on the very first pitch of the ensuing at-bat.
The Nova Southeastern second baseman finished the afternoon 3-for-5 at the plate, adding a double in the seventh inning. Meanwhile, Michael Hernandez recorded his second dinger in as many days, with shortstop Dylan Woods launching a solo blast in the third for his fifth homer of the year.
Hernandez opened the scoring in the top of the second, depositing the 1-2 offering from Nick Yobbi over the wall to give the Sharks the early two-run cushion. The lead didn't last long, though, after a pair of costly errors in the home half of the inning resulted in a four-run frame for the Pacers.
Nova Southeastern would quickly shake off the miscues with Woods' home run in the top of the third to trim the deficit in half, and soon evened up the score at 4-4 in the fourth thanks to an RBI-single into right field off the bat of Sebastian Diaz.
The score remained knotted up until the eighth when USC-Aiken's Zach Moon doubled down the left field line to put the Pacers ahead. Sharks' starter Joe DiBenedetto would limit the damage, however, with three straight outs, giving Cintron and company the chance for the dramatic win.
DiBenedetto improved to 4-1 on the year following an eight-inning effort that included four strikeouts. The southpaw has now tossed at least six innings in four of his five starts, a welcomed sign from a guy that worked in relief in 13 of his 14 appearances a year ago.
The victory snaps a three-game skid for the Sharks, giving them a boost heading into Monday's home matchup with Merrimack. For complete coverage of the 6 p.m. contest, log onto NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_Baseball.
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