AIKEN, SC – Trevecca (0-1) lost 7-6 after a late rally by host University of South Carolina at Aiken (4-0) was enough for the Pacers to edge the Trojans at Roberto Hernandez Stadium on Friday.

Catch TNU baseball coach Ryan Schmalz on 102.5 the Game Saturday at 8:15 a.m. (Listen)

The two teams will face-off again for game two of the three-games series on Saturday at Noon. (Watch / Stats) USC Aiken is coached by Trevecca alum and baseball hall of famer Kenny Thomas. KT, as he is known around the Hill, was Trevecca's first all-American and is the only player to have his number retired by the baseball program. His #19 is placed prominently on the right-field wall at Jackson Field.

Trojan Tyler Tichenor reached on a one-out double to center in the bottom for the first and advanced to third on the throw. Hunter Newman singled to left to drive in Tichenor for the games first run in the bottom of the first.

Aiken evened the score at 1-1 with a run in the second.

Trevecca then added four unanswered runs. In the third, Patrick Reed lead off the inning with a triple. Tichenor drove Reed in on a SAC fly. Trevecca added three in the fifth for a 5-1 lead after four and a half innings. Tichenor walked to lead off the fifth before Newman cranked a two-run homer.  Nick Kristinus later reached on a single and later scored when Zach Tompkins reached on a bunt single, driving in Kristinus.

The Pacers scored a run in the bottom of the fifth, but Trevecca erased that with another run in the top of the sixth. Tichenor reached again with a double to right and scored again when Newman followed with a single to left.

Aiken put three runs on the board in bottom of the sixth and then a single run in the seventh to tie the game and in the eighth for the go ahead run.

Mike Purcell started for the Trojans and pitched 5.1 before giving way to Austin Sisk and then Jimmy Justin Dailey. Dailey (0-1) took the loss after giving up the winning run in the ninth.

Purcell allowed six hits and five runs with two walks and had one strike out. Dailey allowed just one hit, a lead-off triple, and run, but it was the only baserunner to reach against the senior.

Trevecca collected 13 hits while Aiken had 11. Neither team committed an error.

Tyler Tichenor had a pair of doubles and scored three times. Tichenor, hitting number two, was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two walks. Ethan Hurt collected a double and had a stolen base while going 2-for-4 with a walk. Patrick Reed had a triple from the leadoff position and later scored. Hunter Newman slugged his first home run of the year, going 3-for-5 from the plate with four RBI and a run scored. Newman added a stolen base. In his first collegiate start Zach Tompkins was 3-for-3 with a sacrifice, a walk, and an RBI. 

James Lynch (1-0), who pitched 1.1 innings, came on to get the win in relief for the Pacers. Lynch came on to get the final out in the eighth to keep the Trojans at six runs, then pitched the ninth to lock down the win.