Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--USC Aiken's (40-19) first postseason run in 12 years came to an end in the late hours on Friday evening as the 16th ranked Pacers dropped a heartbreaking 10-9 decision to the fourth-ranked and top-seeded North Florida Ospreys (43-15) in an elimination game of the 2005 NCAA Division II South Atlantic baseball regional. The game did not get underway until 9:15 PM and ended at 12:30 AM. Earlier in the day, the Pacers eliminated eighth-ranked Francis Marion (34-16-1) with a 5-2 come-from-behind win. 

UNF handed the Pacers both their losses in the regional, and its safe to say USCA will not miss the six-time Peach Belt Conference champs as they move to Division I next season as the Ospreys gave the Pacers five of the team's 19 losses on the year. 

The Pacers fell behind quickly to North Florida as the Ospreys plated four in the top of the first inning. An RBI double by Sadry Cafe and then a pair of RBI singles off the bats of Marion Knowles and Mike Fryrear chased starter Jon Paul in the first. 

USCA, however, responded with a five-spot in the bottom of the inning keyed by a bases clearing double by Marc Joehnk. Daniel Quartararo and Brandon Barenie each added RBI singles in the inning. 

The Ospreys tied things up in the third on a leadoff homer by Cafe, only to have Ian Kowalchuk answer in the bottom of the third driving in Darryl Pui to make it 6-5 Pacers. 

Jon Skorupski hit a two-run blast in the fourth while Matt Oxendine's solo shot in the fifth made it 9-6 Ospreys. Down but not out, the Pacers again battled back. Steven Kinney cranked a one-out, solo homer to right field and then All-Conference catcher Robert Davis added a RBI double in the seventh pushing across Zach Cooper and Kowalchuk to tie the game at 9-9. Davis, who went 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles and two RBI, finished with four doubles in three games in the regional giving him 24 on the season tying Bradley Key's single season school mark set last year. 

In the top of the ninth, Skorupski led off with a single and Knowles slapped a one-out double to left to set up the scoring threat in the form of a sacrifice fly by Fryrear for the go ahead run 10-9. Closer Nick Wandless (4-1) entered the game in the ninth with a 1.03 ERA and a 4-0 record with nine saves. But after allowing only four earned runs in 35.0 innings of work this season, Wandless' fifth earned run allowed would prove to be the game winner. 

With one last chance, the Pacers put a serious scare into North Florida. Kowalchuk led off with a single and was sacrificed to second by Cooper. An infield single by Quartararo set up first and third with one out for Davis. He, however, hit into a game ending 4-6-3 double play. 

Kowalchuk finished with three hits while Cooper, Quartararo, Joehnk, and Barenie each added two hits. USCA outhit North Florida 16-14 while the Ospreys committed four miscues in the field to the Pacers one. 
Jared Incinelli (4-1) picked up the win for North Florida while Josh Papelbon (11) earned the save. 

" The guys played hard all season. They fought back all year and did it again tonight," said USCA head coach Kenny Thomas. "We came up short, but that's the way baseball goes." 

Earlier in the day, the Pacers played Francis Marion in an elimination game. 

Francis Marion grabbed a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on a one-out, RBI double to right field by Quentin Davis. He would then advance to third and score on two wild pitches by USCA starter Peden Rucker. 

Davis drove in Kowalchuk with an RBI ground out in the fifth and then Casey Derhak scored on a wild pitch by the Patriots' hurler Lee Tabor to knot the game up at 2-2. 

The Pacers completed the comeback with a three-run seventh. Quartararo blasted his ninth homer of the season, a solo shot to left field for the eventual game winner. After Tabor was pulled for reliever Mitch Norris, Davis doubled to right and Steven Kinney then doubled him home. Kinney would later score on a wild pitch setting the final margin at 5-2. 

Cooper, Davis, Derhak, and Kowalchuk each had two of the Pacers' 10 hits on the day. Quartararo, Davis, and Kinney tallied one RBI each. 

Davis led Francis Marion going 1-for-4 with one RBI. 

On the mound, Rucker (6-4) tossed a complete game gem in his first ever postseason appearance. The sophomore allowed just two earned runs on five hits and one walk, striking out seven. He retired the final 13 batters of the game. 

Tabor (9-4) also had a strong outing scattering seven hits and four walks over 6.1 innings allowing three earned runs and striking out five in the loss. 

" Rucker pitched extremely well. I didn't know if we were going to be able to get to their guy, he was pitching well," said Thomas in a post-game press conference. "Daniel's [Quartararo] home run definitely ignited us. I though both teams had great defense and pitching, which is what you expect in a situation like this." 

"It's a great win for us after a tough loss last night. It was our second game in 14 hours, so it was tough both mentally and physically. Peden got stronger as the game went on. He was throwing as well in the ninth as he was in the first." 

Competing in their first NCAA regional since 1993, USC Aiken closed the tournament 1-2 and placed third, not bad for a team picked to finish eighth in the conference. With the win over Francis Marion, USCA notched the program's eighth 40-win season in 33 years, but first since 1993. The fourth place conference finish was also the best in a decade. The 1995 squad tied for third with Armstrong Atlantic State and Columbus State at 14-10. 

USC Aiken loses just two position players to graduation (Quartararo and Barenie) and one weekend starter (Steve Dunham). 

GAME THREE
#8 Francis Marion.............000 200 000 - 2 5 0
#16 USC Aiken...................000 011 30x - 5 10 0
Boxscore
GAME FIVE
#4 North Florida.................401 310 001 - 10 14 4
#16 USC Aiken....................501 001 200 - 9 16 1