GREENWOOD – In an NCAA Division II top ten showdown Friday night, the No. 9-ranked USC Aiken baseball team rallied for two runs in the tenth inning to defeat No. 10 Lander, 8-6, in the first game of a Peach Belt Conference series at Dolny Stadium. The series will continue Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.

USC Aiken improves to 32-8 overall and 17-5 in the PBC, while Lander moves to 29-10, 18-7.

The Pacers' Taylor Grover (3-0) was awarded the win after striking out two, walking two and allowing two earned runs on two hits in one inning pitched.

Lander's Johnny Walker (0-2) suffered the loss, striking out three, walking two and allowing two earned runs on two hits in 1.1 innings on the mound.

Lander forced the extra inning in the bottom of the ninth when, trailing 6-4, Patrick Grady drove in Ian Harvey and Graham Ramos with a single to left centerfield.

In the tenth, USCA's Josh Miller singled in pinch hitter Ben Donath, and Tyler Moore followed him across the plate via a Lander error for the win.

The Pacers took a 1-0 lead in the second on Ryan Metzler's RBI double that scored Ty Barkell, then stretched the lead to 2-0 in the third on Bryce Baur's sacrifice fly. Bill Gerstenslager's single that plated Branden Millhouse gave the Pacers a 3-0 lead in the fifth.

The Bearcats cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth on Weston Lawing's RBI double that drove home Connor Lewis, and Jeff May's sacrifice fly that scored Lawing.

USCA added another run in the sixth to make it 4-2 after Moore singled in JJ Loker.

The Bearcats tied the game at 4-4 in the seventh after Aaron Poole scored on Ramos' groundout and Erik Lunde drove in Harvey.

With bases loaded and one out in the eighth, Moore's sacrifice fly drove in Gerstenslager to put USCA back up 5-4.

Lander missed a great scoring opportunity in the eighth when, with bases loaded and no outs, Pacer pitcher Sam Daniel struck out Poole, then the USCA defense ended the inning with a double play.

USCA extended their lead to 6-4 in the ninth on Baur's RBI single that scored Millhouse.

For Lander, Lewis and Harvey batted 2-for-4 and Ramos went 2-for-5.

For USCA, Barkell batted 2-for-5.