AIKEN, S.C. – Brooke Moore crushed a pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning, sending the University of South Carolina Aiken to a 3-2 win over No. 12 North Georgia Friday evening.

The Pacers lost the first game 9-0. Head coach Jaclin Poole's team is now 24-17 overall and 7-10 in league play. The Nighthawks stand at 35-12 overall and 17-3 in PBC action.

Rookie Lakyn Phillips held the high-powered offense off the board in the early going. The Pacers got on top with a two-run third inning. With one down, Lauren Wexler drew a walk with the count full. Two batters later, Emily Ayers took the first pitch she saw over the left field fence for the 2-0 lead.

Phillips continued to be solid in the circle. However, the Nighthawks broke through with a pair of runs in the fifth, tying the score at 2-2.

Both teams had chances in the sixth and seventh, but neither could push across a run. In the top of the eighth, Haley Cummings ripped a pitch down the left field line, but Jena Dewalt took off and snagged the ball, securing the out. Three pitches later, Dewalt registered another putout, sending the Pacers into the bottom of the eighth with the score still tied at 2-2.

With one down, Moore ended the game with the solo blast on an 0-1 count. For the game, Ayers and Moore had two hits apiece. Ayers drove in two and Moore had one RBI. Ayers, Moore and Wexler all scored.

In the circle, Phillips went the distance. She struck out four and gave up one earned run on six hits en route to getting the win.

It marked the first win for USC Aiken over North Georgia since a 5-1 win on March 23, 2014.

In the opener, UNG posted the 9-0 win and limited USC Aiken to a hit by Mallory Shaver. Moore and Ashlyn White were hit by a pitch in the contest.  

The teams return to action tomorrow for the final game of the series at 3 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.