FLORENCE, S.C.— First baseman Chad Jacobsen’s two-run single in the top of the ninth inning gave 11th-ranked USC Aiken a 7-6 win over 24-ranked Francis Marion University, Saturday afternoon (March 17) in the opening game of a key Peach Belt Conference baseball series.

USCA improves to 19-6 overall and 9-1 in the PBC, while Francis Marion falls to 19-9 and 7-6. The two squads will conclude their series with a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. 

Junior left-hander Scott Wandless (6-0) earned the win despite allowing six runs (three earned) in eighth innings. The second-team All-Region selection in 2006 struck out 11 FMU batters and upped his career record as a Pacer to 17-1. Senior righty Gary Lee retired the final two FMU batters, stranding the tying and winning runs on base, to record his sixth save.

FMU junior southpaw Zach Farry (2-1) took the loss as he allowed the two ninth-inning runs. Junior All-American right-hander Dylan Owen pitched the opening seven frames and allowed five runs (three earned), while fanning seven.

Jacobsen and Ken Rabon both had two hits for USCA, while Rabon scored twice and drove in one run.

Senior designated hitter Michael Ward, sophomore catcher Jared Barkdoll, and junior second baseman Ryan Hypke all had two hits for the Patriots. FMU junior shortstop Greg Phelps was 0-for-4 and had his 13-game hitting streak stopped.

FMU took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI double by Ward. USCA answered with a run in the top of the second as Rabon scored on an RBI ground out by Zach Cooper. The Pacers scored four times in third as Chris Sheehan, Josh Eachues, and Rabon all had run-scoring singles and Marc Joehnk plated Rabon with a squeeze bunt.

FMU trimmed the margin to 5-2 as Hypke tripled to lead off the bottom of the third and scored on an RBI ground out by Derek Kennamer. The Patriots tied the game at 5-5 in the fifth, scoring three times after a two-out error by the Pacers. Ward drove home one run with a single through the right side and Barkdoll knotted the game with a booming two-run double to left.

In the ninth, Jacobsen delivered his two-run hit to left with one out. In the bottom of the frame, FMU loaded the bases with one out, but Lee entered the game and induced Nick Stewart to ground into a force play, as one run scored, and then got Ward to pop out to the shortstop with the tying run at third and the winning run on first.