AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team scored five runs in the first and never looked back en route to an 8-1 victory over the visiting North Georgia Nighthawks Sunday afternoon.

The Pacers are now 21-7 on the season.

To start off the second half of the first inning, Kody Belcher hit a single to second base. Tyler Moore followed it up with another single and then a steal, putting runners on second and third, respectively. TJ Costen singled to third, loading the bases. Ty Barkell brought Belcher and Moore home with a hit to right field, making the score 2-1 while Costen advanced to third.

After Matt Bosse's walk, Ryan Metzler hit a single to right, plating Costen and moving Barkell and Bosse for some more station-to-station baseball. Charles Padilla scored Barkell on a walk soon thereafter and Belcher came back around to round out the scoring for the inning, plating Bosse on a walk.

Following a quick second frame, the Pacers came back for another score in the bottom of the third. Metzler singled and then stole two bases before scoring on Belcher's single to right center, making it a 6-1 game.

Coach Kenny Thomas' team scored two more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Barkell singled and then advanced to second on Bosse's base-hit to right. Both advanced to third on a wild pitch, putting Barkell in prime position to score on a single by Metzler to center field. On the very next play, Ben Donath's sacrifice fly to left plated Bosse and made the score 8-1.

Both teams played a heavy defensive game the last four and a half innings, with neither allowing another run.

Ben Black worked the final five innings, striking out five en route to earning the win. Caleb Smith started out on the mound, pitching four innings and striking out seven before the switch.

At the plate, Barkell had three hits, drove home two and scored twice. Metzler recorded three hits, two RBI and one run while Belcher had two hits, two RBI and one run.