Lexington Downs Mauldin 7-4 in I.P. Classic Opener

Georgetown, S.C. – Zach Paquette drove in two runs with three hits and Ryan Brown and Reece Burnett added two hits each helping top-ranked Lexington to a 7-4 win over 4th-ranked Mauldin in the opening game of the 2013 International Paper Classic at Mike Johnson Park on Thursday.

Lexington, which plays 5th-ranked Conway at 10:30 a.m. Friday, improved to 2-0. Mauldin fell to 1-1.

Burnette’s RBI single and a sacrifice fly by David Barboza gave Lexington 2-0 second inning lead. Nick Ciuffo tripled with one out in the third and courtesy runner Brice Kirven scored on Paquette’s infield hit stretching Lexington’s lead to 3-0.

Paquette’s RBI infield hit and a sacrifice fly by Cole McMillan highlighted Lexington’s 3-run fourth inning that gave the Wildcats a 6-0 advantage.

After Mauldin got a pair of runs in the fourth and two unearned runs in the fifth, the Wildcats scored a run on Ciuffo’s sacrifice fly in the sixth for the final margin.

Brown finished 2-for-4 and scored twice, Paquette went 3-for-4 and Burnet went 2-for-2 and to lead the Wildcats’ 12-hit attack.

Josh Reagan (1-0) was the starter and winner for the Wildcats allowing four runs, two earned, on five hits with eight strikeouts over the first five innings.  Elliott Lance blanked Mauldin over the final two frames with a pair of strikeouts for his first save of the season.  Brandon Justice (0-1) allowed six runs, five earned, over the first four innings and suffered the loss.

Lexington 7, Mauldin 4

LX – 021 301 0 – 7 – 12 – 5
MA – 000 220 0 – 4 -   6 – 5
WP – Josh Reagan (1-0). LP – Brandon Justice (0-1). Save – Elliott Lance (1).