Columbia, S.C. – Freshman infielder George Iskenderian hit a two-out two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Black team to a 3-2 win over the Garnet squad in game one of the Garnet & Black World Series. Game two is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Carolina Stadium on Friday night.
Garnet broke ahead early in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead as junior college transfer Graham Saiko connected for a solo home run to left field. Saiko entered the Carolina program this August after earning All-Panhandle Conference honors at Tallahassee CC.
Garnet increased the lead to 2-0 in the fifth inning. Freshman infielder D.C. Arendas doubled to the gap in right-center with one out and scored on a two-out RBI double down the left field line off the bat of freshman outfielder Anthony Paulsen.
Black responded in the bottom half of the fifth to cut the lead in half as sophomore designated hitter Patrick Harrington led off with a double and scored on senior catcher Dante Rosenberg’s RBI sacrifice fly to center field.
A pair of senior pitchers started for both squads and limited the opportunities on both sides. Senior left-hander Nolan Belcher started for the Black team and went 4.2 innings allowing two runs on three hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Senior right-hander Patrick Sullivan went five innings for the Garnet team and allowed one run on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts as well. Both Belcher and Sullivan are captains and managers for their respective squads.
Sophomore center fielder Tanner English showcased his skills in the outfield with a pair of diving catches to rob both Erik Payne and Sean Sullivan of hits midway into the contest.
It remained 2-1 until the bottom of the seventh inning. Erik Payne drew a one-out walk. With two outs and Payne on second base, Iskenderian knocked a pitch from sophomore right-hander Evan Beal over the wall in left field to seal the victory for the Black squad. Iskenderian came to South Carolina this fall after prepping four seasons at Don Bosco Prep in the state of New Jersey.
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