AIKEN, S.C. – The Georgia Southwestern State University baseball team opened its three-game weekend Peach Belt Conference series at the University of South Carolina Aiken with a 4-3 win on Friday evening at Roberto Hernandez Stadium. The Pacers rallied to take the final two games, handing GSW an 8-1 loss on Saturday and an 8-3 defeat in the finale on Sunday.

The Hurricanes exit the weekend with a record of 10-16 overall, 5-10 in the PBC, while USC Aiken improved to 16-9, 8-4 to sit atop the conference standings.     
 
NOTES 

• USC Aiken ran its record at home this spring to 10-4.
• USC Aiken ranks sixth in the latest NCBWA Southeast Region poll.
• The Hurricanes fall to 8-25 all-time against the Pacers. 

STANDOUT PERFORMERS

• Andy Moore led GSW at the plate over the weekend. Moore went 4-for-6 (.667) with a home run, a walk and two RBIs. 
• A.J. Hayes struck out four over his 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.    
• Tucker Smith improved his record to 5-1 with an eight-inning performance in Game 1 of the series. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Moore brought home Jonathan Martin with an RBI single in the fourth inning of Game 1 to open the scoring. 
• Jason Baita was hit by a pitch to kick off the Hurricanes three-run eighth inning and proceeded to steal second. Following an intentional walk to Martin, Hunter Foster drove in a run with a single and Matthew Mamatas pushed across the eventual game-winning run with single to left. 
• A two-run home run by USC Aiken in the bottom half of the eighth inning made things interesting as it pulled the Pacers within a run, but relief pitcher Harrison Timberlake closed out the opener with a scoreless ninth for his third save of the season.
• USC Aiken score three runs with four hits in the first inning of Game 2 and never looked back.
• The Pacers led 8-0 before GSW scored its lone run in the seventh, a home run by freshman Tyler Adams. The first of his collegiate career.
• USC Aiken was up 2-0 in the finale when GSW scored its first run in the fourth inning. Martin scored from third on a one-out fielder's choice off the bat of Bo Halcomb.
• The Pacers answered with three hits and three runs in the bottom of the fourth to put Sunday's game out of reach.
• Moore homered in the sixth inning with the bases empty.
• Halcome plated his second run of the game with a single in the eighth.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• GSW was out-hit in the series (25-19).
• The Hurricanes left 21 runners on base, USC Aiken stranded 29.
• GSW put the leadoff man aboard on 10 of 27 opportunities (.370).
• Hurricane batters were 3-for-29 at the plate (.103) with two outs and 5-for-33 (.152) with an RBI opportunity.
• GSW's favorite inning to score in was the eighth. They pushed across four over the weekend.
• GSW starting pitchers combined to surrender nine earned runs over 12 innings and allowed 10 hits and nine walks over the weekend.
• Right-handed batters for USC Aiken were held to a collective .237 average (14-for-59) against GSW pitching. 

UP NEXT

• The Hurricanes travel to Auburn Montgomery on Tuesday to face the Warhawks (13-12) at 6 p.m. EDT.