AIKEN, SC – The USC Aiken Pacers combined for 31 hits in a doubleheader sweep of Francis Marion University, a 12-4 win in game one and a 9-8 victory in 10 innings in game two, on Sunday (March 15) in Peach Belt Conference baseball competition.

The Patriots (12-9, 5-5) will continue their road trip at Virginia State University in a non-conference tilt on Tuesday at 3 p.m. USCA improved to 18-7 overall and 9-6 in the PBC.

Game one began promisingly for Francis Marion as the Patriots mustered three singles, including a run-scoring base knock to right field by junior outfielder J.D. Crowe, in the top of the first to give FMU the early 1-0 advantage.

USCA responded quickly in the home half of the first when senior outfielder T.J. Costen's two-out solo home run knotted the game at 1-1.

The Pacers tallied the game's next eight runs, including a two-run blast off the bat of junior infielder Chaz Pal in the last of the third.

FMU senior Matt Rubino, who increased his hitting streak to 11 games Sunday, gashed a two-run homer in the sixth to account for the Patriots' second and third runs.  In the ensuing inning, junior infielder Cole Morris singled to third base, then eventually plated FMU's fourth and final run on a wild pitch.

Junior righty Trevor Hutto (6-0) struck out six FMU batters en route to the game-one win.  FMU senior right-hander Jordy Santak (1-2) took the loss.

Costen went 4-for-5 in the opening game for USCA, while junior outfielder Casey Clauss led FMU's swingers with three hits in five at-bats.

In the second contest, the Patriots scratched across another first-inning run, thanks to senior first baseman Conner Wessel's RBI double down the left field line which scored Clauss.  However just like game one, USCA wasted no time in answering, this time with a four-run first inning, highlighted by two-run doubles from both Pal and senior outfielder Randy Luckett.

The bats of both teams were quieted from innings two through four, but in the fifth, junior shortstop Randy Loew nailed a single to shortstop to score Morris, and FMU trimmed the USCA lead to 4-2.

A busy seventh inning gave Francis Marion the lead again as the Patriots tallied five runs in the frame on run-scoring hits from Rubino, Crowe and junior designated hitter Ryan Miller.

But the Pacers' slugging rose to the occasion again, with one run in the seventh then two runs in the bottom of the ninth (all on home runs) to deadlock the game at 8-8 and send it into extra innings.

Sophomore righty Nick Yobbi retired the Patriots in order in the top of the 10th.  In the home half, senior outfielder Kody Belcher connected on a lead-off single, then advanced to second a wild pitch.  He reached third on a sac bunt.  With the bases loaded, junior catcher Max Schoen hit a sacrifice fly to score Belcher and win the game for the Pacers.

Yobbi's (2-0) stout tenth-inning pitching gave him the win, while junior righty Brandon Cook (1-1) was stung with the defeat after working 1.1 innings.

Crowe was 3-for-5 in game two, while both Wessel and Morris had two hits apiece.