AIKEN, S.C. - Behind a record-breaking performance by Bill Rice the nationally-ranked USC Aiken baseball team came out on top in a commanding 14-7 victory over the Hurricanes.

Rice (Sewell, N.J./Gloucester County College) was a perfect 5-for-5 with in the emphatic victory. He finished his efforts with seven RBIs and four runs scored. He hit three home runs.

The three home runs by Rice marked the first time since USC Aiken moved into NCAA Division II that a Pacer has hit three home runs in a single contest. Prior to Saturday, 32 Pacers had hit two home runs in a game, but never before had three been belted in a single contest. Rice changed that with his three taters on Saturday.

Rice's five hits and seven RBIs tied also tied two school records.

Unlike in the first contest, the Pacers got on the scoreboard first by scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning, four in the bottom of the second, and three in the bottom of the third to own a commanding 11-0 lead. 

The Hurricanes got on the board in the fourth inning by scoring 5, but USC Aiken answered right back with a five-spot in the fifth.  The Pacers held the Hurricanes to just two more runs in the eighth inning before shutting it down with the seven-run 14-7 victory.

Rice was not the only Pacer that was productive at the dish on Saturday as former USC Aiken Athletic Department player of the week JJ Loker (Elkton, Va./Spotwood) went 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Loker hit a triple in the bottom of the first that sparked the Pacers to four runs in the first frame. 

Loker was one of three Pacers to finish with two hits with Stephen Carmon (Camden, S.C./Camden) and Noah Wethington (Rock Island, Ill./Blackhawk College) also ending their day with two hits. Carmon scored three runs and had an RBI, while Wethington concluded his day with two runs scored.

USC Aiken as a team pounded out 14 hits in total in the game.

Tyler Stephan (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) pitched 3.2 innings in relief of Steven Spire (Swansea, S.C./Swansea) to collect the victory on the hill for the Pacers. Stephan fanned six. He is now 1-1 in the 2010 season. 

Georgia Southwestern's Ryan Lackey dealt just an inning and a third in his start to fall to 0-1 on the season. Lackey allowed seven earned runs in his time on the mound.

The Pacers and Hurricanes will hold the rubber match in their three-game series at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21 at Roberto Hernandez Stadium. USC Aiken (4-6) will be looking for its first series victory of the 2010 campaign on Sunday.