AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team improved to 16-6 on the year with an 18-5 victory over Chowan Wednesday afternoon.

The Pacers were led by Zach Moon's four-RBI performance. Moon, Matt Bosse and Kody Belcher all tallied three hits apiece. Sean Miller, Douglas Ard and Rob Youngblood notched two hits each while Ryan Hunt, TJ Costen and Max Schoen all had one hit.

Costen drove in three runs. Belcher, Hunt and Youngblood all had two RBI while Ty Barkell, Chaz Pal and Sean Miller each had one.

On the mound, Ben Black worked five innings to get the win. He struck out eight, including five straight during one stretch. Jared Felix threw a scoreless frame while striking out two. Joe Marlow added two strikeouts while Hunter Hubbard and Sam Daniel each had one.

Trailing 3-0 heading into the bottom of the first, head coach Kenny Thomas' team got back into the ball game when Costen singled home Miller. Barkell's grounder led to another run, making it 3-2.

From that point forward, Black settled down on the mound and quickly struck out the side. The next time he went onto the field, USC Aiken had taken an 11-3 lead.

In the bottom of the second inning, Ard reached on an error, allowing Moon to score. Youngblood singled home Bosse and Miller singled home Ard. After a sacrifice fly by Costen, a walk to Barkell loaded the bases. Pal drew a walk prior to Moon going opposite field for a grand slam and an eight-run advantage.

USC Aiken tacked on two runs in the fifth stanza. With the bases full of Pacers, Belcher was hit by a pitch, driving in a run. Costen reached on a fielder's choice that allowed Ard to score, making it 13-4.

After the Hawks plated a run in the top of the eighth, Thomas' team went back to work, plating five more runs in the bottom of the frame. Youngblood singled home Moon. Hunt beat out an infield single that scored Bosse. Belcher roped a single to center field for one RBI while Costen's grounder allowed Hunt to score for the 18-5 margin.

The Pacers return to action Saturday at 3 p.m., when they host Francis Marion.