ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team posted a 3-1 win over Columbus State in the opening game of the PBC Tournament for both teams.

The Pacers are now 30-21 on the season while the Cougars fall to 30-19.

Mitch Spence turned in an outstanding performance on the mound. He worked eight frames and gave up just one run. He struck out 10 batters on 128 pitches en route to earning the win. Spence gave way to Henry Cartrett in the ninth inning with a 3-1 lead.

Alex Mills put USC Aiken on the board with a single in the second stanza. The base knock up the middle plated Joey Smithers, who reached on a fielder's choice and swiped second for a 1-0 edge.

Tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh, head coach Kenny Thomas' team got things going with two down. Mills ripped a single up the middle before Sean McQuillan reached on an infield single. Jackson Hannon's base knock loaded the bags. Chandler Rogers rocketed a pitch into left field for a 3-1 advantage.

The highlight of the night came in the top of the seventh when McQuillan went over the fence in right field to snag what would have been a homer for an out.

After Cartrett entered the game in the top of the ninth, he picked up the first out via a fly ball. After allowing a walk, he forced a groundout before ending the game via a strikeout.  

For the game, Mills and Rogers had two hits apiece. Rogers drove in two while Mills knocked in one and scored once. Hannon, McQuillan and Rogers all had one hit. McQuillan and Smithers also raced across home plate.

The Pacers return to action Saturday morning against Flagler at 10 a.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.