Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SPARTANBURG, S.C.--USC Aiken's (31-29) reward for yesterday's 7-3 win over UNC Pembroke in the opening round of the 2004 Peach Belt Conference Softball Tournament at the 295 Sports Complex in Spartanburg, S.C. was a date with top-seeded and top-ranked Kennesaw State on Saturday morning. The Owls (57-3), ranked number one in NCAA Division II, were too much for the Lady Pacers winning 7-1. In the losers bracket, eighth-seeded USCA was upset by 11th-seeded Lander (29-30) 4-0. 

In the game with Kennesaw State, the Owls got on the board in the first on a Keri McKee RBI single back up the middle plating Lori Cassell. KSU tacked on four more in the third inning keyed by a Cambria McKay two-run homer. 

Trailing 7-0 entering the top of the seventh, Deidre Simmons slapped an RBI single with the bases loaded to bring around Jayme Durand and set the final margin at 7-1. 

Durand, Simmons, Sarah Harvey, Ashley Dyches, and Kelly Ford each had one hit for the Lady Pacers. 

Jennifer Nolan went 3-for-3 with one run scored while McKee was 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead the Owls. 

Tara Hrycuik (19-1) tossed a complete-game, five-hitter allowing the one earned run, walking two and striking out 13. 

JoAnn Jones (13-12) surrendered five runs, four earned, on nine hits, striking out two in 3.0 innings in the loss for the Lady Pacers. Samatha Blair let up two more earned runs on three hits and one walk, fanning three over the final 3.0 innings. 

In the losers bracket, the Lady Pacers faced Lander whom they had beaten two of three times this season. But Sarah Permenter tossed a three-hit shutout against USCA en route to her team's 4-0 upset win. 

Permenter (18-11) faced just four batters over the minimum with three hits and one walk, striking out five in the win. 

Jones (13-13) was on the mound for the Lady Pacers with her record breaking 32nd appearance of the season, besting Crystal Dunkle's mark of 31 appearances set in 2000. Jones allowed four runs, three earned, on nine hits, striking out six in the loss. 

A sacrifice fly by Melissa Ryals in the first inning gave the Lady Bearcats the early 1-0 lead. 

Alcira Adriatico (9) led off the sixth with a home run to right field and Jennifer Dickert delivered an RBI single to make it 3-0. Ashlea Burdette's single in the seventh plated Summer Kimmel to make it 4-0. 

Meghan Lynch had two of the Lady Pacers' three hits. Brooke McSwain had the other one. 

Dickert was 3-for-3 with one RBI for Lander. Kimmel and Adriatico were each 2-for-4 combining for three runs scored and one RBI. 

USC Aiken closes out the season 31-29, the program's first 30-win season since also going 31-29 in 2000. The 8-12 regular season conference mark also tied the most conference wins in school history. 

USC Aiken...................000 000 1 - 1 5 1
Kennesaw State........104 002 x - 7 12 0

E - Lynch. LOB - USCA 6; KSU 6. 2B - Middleton. HR - McKee; McKay. HBP - Maughton. SH - Lynch(5); Middleton. SB - Cassell; Middleton.
Boxscore vs. KSU

Lander.......................100 002 1 - 4 9 0
USC Aiken.................000 000 0 - 0 3 1

E - Jones. LOB - Bearcats 6; USCA 3. 2B - Kimmel. HR - Adriatico(9). SH - Cornwell(10). SF - Ryals. CS - McSwain.