Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SAVANNAH, Ga.--A three-run, eighth inning home run by Truman Marek was all that kept #27 USC Aiken (35-19, 15-14 PBC) from sweeping a Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader from #29 Armstrong Atlantic State (33-18, 13-13 PBC) on Saturday afternoon at Pirate Field. Trailing 7-5 in the eighth, Marek's longball provided the Pirates with the 9-7 come-from-behind win. The Pacers, however, won game two 8-3, snapping a seven-game conference slide and clinching a berth in the 2007 PBC Tournament.

In game one, USC Aiken grabbed a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning on Chad Jacobsen's sacrifice fly ro right field scoring Ben Tankersley. Jacobsen went 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs scored in the game. 

AASU had the answer in the home half of the frame, plating three runs to take a 5-3 advantage. A bases loaded single by Tyler Evans drove in Josh Dallas from third, but Tankersley gunned down Brad Bohannon from left field as he tried to score from second base. Sean Hotzak's infield single to shortstop brought around Marek for the third run of the inning. 

Still trailing 5-3 in the top of the seventh, Jacobsen singled in Darryl Pui to tie the game while Chris Sheehan crushed his league-leading 12th home run of the season, a two-run shot, over the left field wall as USCA went out in front 7-5. 

Sheehan was 2-for-4 with two RBI while Pui finished 2-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored. 

In the bottom of the eighth, with two on and one out, Marek smacked a three-run blast over the wall in left center for the game winner. Marek went 2-for-4 on the day with three RBI and two runs scored while Hotzak was a perfect 5-for-5. 

Nate Herder (3-2) came on in relief of Austin Ducey, tossing a perfect eighth inning, for the win. 

Scott Wandless scattered 11 hits and three walks over 6.1 innings of work, striking out two and giving up five earned runs in the no-decision. Gary Lee (1-3) surrendered four earned runs on five hits in 1.0 inning in the loss. 

In the nightcap, USC Aiken scored five unanswered runs over the final three innings to post the 8-3 victory. 

Trailing 2-0 in the top of the fourth, Zach Cooper doubled down the left field line and later scored on a fielding error by the second baseman to give USCA the 3-2 lead. 

Armstrong Atlantic State countered with a Dallas' sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 3-3.

A four-run fifth, however, highlighted by a Sheehan's RBI single with the eventual game winner lifted the Pacers to the win. 

Tankersley was 2-for-3 with two runs scored while Sheehan went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Cooper added a 2-for-4 game with a pair of doubles. 

Beau Hill (7-4) came on in relief of Dustin Tyra to toss 3.2 innings of three-hit, shutout baseball, walking one and fanning one for his second-straight win. 

Vyt Rivers (5-5) was tagged with the loss for the Pirates letting up seven runs, five earned, on six hits and four walks in 4.2 innings. 

USC Aiken entered the weekend series with AASU ranked seventh in the NCAA South Atlantic Region poll, two spots behind the Pirates. With Sunday's crucial rubber game of the series, both teams will be looking for the upper hand as the regular season comes to a close. First pitch for tomorrow's game is 1:00 PM.

GAME ONE
#27 USC Aiken......200 010 400 - 7 10 1
#29 AASU...............020 030 04x - 9 17 2

E - Joehnk(15); Bohannon; Cail. DP - Pacers 2. LOB - Pacers 5; Pirates 10. 2B - Eachues(9); Joehnk(8); Key, M.(2). HR - Jacobsen(10); Sheehan(12); Marek(4). HBP - Evans 2. SH - Key, M.(2); Bohannon; Marek; Davis. SF - Jacobsen(7). SB - Tankersley(17); Eachues(3); Evans; Hotzak. CS - Dallas.
BOXSCORE
GAME TWO
#27 USC Aiken.......000 341 0 - 8 8 0
#29 AASU................200 100 0 - 3 8 3

E - Bohannon; Wilson; Dallas. DP - Pacers 1. LOB - Pacers 7; Pirates 8. 2B - Tankersley(10); Raborn(13); Cooper 2(12). 3B - Cail. HBP - Key, M.. SH - Joehnk(13); Noble. SF - Dallas. SB - Key, M.(3); Noble.