AIKEN, S.C. - The No. 19 University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team picked up a hard fought 9-7 victory over visiting Chowan Wednesday evening.

The Pacers are now 16-4 on the season.

For the second straight day, head coach Kenny Thomas' team trailed 1-0. However, USC Aiken took the lead in the bottom of the third. Chaz Pal walked and was able to take his time rounding the bases when Brian Parreira ripped a two-run homer over the fence for a 2-1 advantage.

Tyler Ammerman blasted a triple to right center field to lead off the fourth. Skylar Mercado laced a single to right, plating Ammerman. With two down, Parreira reached on a base hit. Zach Moon reached on an error, putting runners on second and third. The error was costly as Parreira managed to score on a wild pitch for a 4-1 lead.

In the top of the sixth, the Hawks scored four unearned runs to take a 5-4 advantage. The Pacers, however, got their lead back rather quickly.

With two outs in the seventh, Moon blasted a double to left field. Max Schoen drew a walk before Mitchell Price registered a three-run opposite field homer to make the score 7-5.

Chowan tried to slice into the deficit in the seventh, but a strong relay from Pal, who hit Ammerman, who quickly turned and fired the ball to Charles Padilla. Padilla caught the throw and stood strong, retiring the runner at the plate to maintain the 7-5 margin.

The Hawks tied the game in the eighth inning by plating a pair of runs. The visitors had a chance to take the lead, but James Lynch managed to work out of a jam that he inherited.

In the bottom half of the frame, Parreira sent his second shot over the fence while Schoen hit a homer to straight-away center field to make it 9-7.

Lynch picked up the victory while Nick Jobst worked the ninth to earn the save. Lynch improved to 2-0 on the season while Jobst notched his third save of the campaign.  

For the game, Parreira led the victors with three hits. He and Price each drove in three runs while Parreira led the squad by crossing home three times. Jonathan Banks and Schoen each wrapped out two hits. Schoen was driven in a pair of times.  

Seven of USC Aiken's 12 hits went for extra bases, including four round-trippers.

The Pacers return to action Friday when they travel to Francis Marion. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.