As the No. 3 seed in the PBC Tournament, USC Aiken was tasked with facing No. 6 Columbus State, No. 2 Flagler and No. 7 Francis Marion in pool play. Head coach Kenny Thomas' team responded in fine fashion, going 3-0 to reach its second consecutive PBC Championship contest. During the run, the Pacers had tremendous pitching, solid fielding and an offense that broke or came close to breaking several tournament records.

Below are the recaps from each of the three pool play games.

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.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - The University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team registered a 9-5 win over Flagler in the second game of pool play for both teams.

The Pacers are now 31-21 on the season while the Saints fall to 30-22. 

Head coach Kenny Thomas' team opened the game with a pair of runs in the first frame. Jackson Hannon started the contest with a single and moved to second on a base knock from Chandler Rogers. With one down, Durden loaded the bags when his hit landed in left field. A Joey Smitherssingle made it 2-0. 

The Saints tied it in the bottom of the inning and took a 3-2 lead after plating a run in the bottom of the second.

The score remained the same until the sixth. With one down, Smithers earned a walk. Scott Huntleycame in as a pinch hitter and also drew a base on balls. The Saints changed pitchers, but Philip Watcherworked the count full before ripping a single through the right side, knotting the contest at 3-3. Alex Millslofted a deep fly ball to right center field, scoring Huntley for a 4-3 advantage.

Flagler managed to tie the contest with a run in the bottom of the sixth and took the lead with a run in the seventh. 

Luke Leisenring got things going in the eighth with a leadoff single. Smithers pushed him to second with a one-out base hit to right center field. Huntley's single plated Leisenring, tying the game at 5-5. Two batters later, Alex Mills rocketed the first pitch he saw into the gap in left center field. The base knock scored Smithers and Huntley for a 7-5 lead. 

The Saints changed pitchers, but Sean McQuillan drew a walk and went to second on a wild pitch. Mills moved up 90 feet on the miscue and Hannon singled home both for a four-run margin.

For the game, Zach Rafuse got the start and worked three innings. Daniel Wiggins came in and tossed three frames, striking out three. Austin Sandifer worked the final three innings to pick up the victory.

Hannon, Rogers and Smithers had two hits apiece. Hannon and Smithers each had two RBI while Smithers and Huntley crossed home twice each. Mills led the way with three RBI.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The University of South Carolina Aiken broke open the final game of pool play early en route to a 22-7 win over Francis Marion Saturday evening.

The Pacers are now 32-21 on the season.

Trailing 1-0 in the second, head coach Kenny Thomas' team plated seven runs and added 11 more in the third for an 18-1 advantage. USC Aiken tacked on another run in the fourth for a 19-1 lead. The designated home squad added three runs in the sixth.

Conner Durden led the way with two round-trippers, including a grand slam (five RBI on the night). Luke Leisenring added a long ball and had four RBI. Chandler Rogers totaled three RBI while Jackson Hannon chipped in two. Blake Bottomley, Andre Brown III, Scott Huntley, Sean McQuillan and Brady O'Neil registered one RBI apiece.

Huntley's four runs scored were the second-most in PBC Tournament history. Hannon and McQuillan crossed home three times while Durden, Leisenring and Rogers touched home twice apiece.

On the mound, Garvin Alston Jr., picked up the win and had seven strikeouts.

The 22 runs tied for the most in PBC Tournament history. The 19 RBI also marked the second most in a single tournament game while the 11 runs scored in the third marked the third most in any frame.