Box Score AIKEN, S.C. -- The IUP Crimson Hawks and USC Aiken Pacers battled in a dramatic contest that saw multiple lead changes before IUP dropped in the ninth inning after the Pacers pulled off a comeback, IUP lost 9-8 in the final game of the series. 
 
USC Aiken struck first, and despite a strong offensive push from IUP in the later innings, the Pacers capitalized on late struggles to earn the walk-off win.
 
IUP dropped to 1-3 overall while USC Aiken improved to 7-7 on the season.
 
Au'sean Owens was the batting leader for the Hawks, he recorded three hits, three RBIs, and two runs. Robert Carfagno, Mitchell Grosch, and Cameron Copple were not far behind, each recorded two hits, with Carfagno and Copple adding an RBI each. Cayden Bender and Davin Landers were the fielding leaders, recording nine and six putouts each, respectively. 

The game started quietly as both teams recorded three quick outs in the first inning, keeping the score tied at 0-0. In the second, IUP's Carfagno reached base with a single but was caught stealing. Grosch managed to get on with a walk and advanced to third on a series of passed balls, but IUP failed to bring him home. 

USC Aiken responded in the bottom half of the inning, scoring two runs, one of which was unearned, to take a 2-0 lead. 

IUP chipped away at the deficit in the third when Owens led off with a double. Peyton Johnson and Ricardo Aponte followed with walks, which loaded the bases. Carfagno then worked a bases-loaded walk, which allowed Owens to score and bring the Hawks within one run at 2-1. 

The Hawks managed to tie the game in the fifth when Ricardo Aponte crossed home plate on a single from Peyton Johnson. 

However, USC Aiken scored two runs and retook a 4-2 lead. 

The sixth inning saw an offensive explosion from both sides. IUP's bats came alive as Copple, Owens, and Aponte all recorded hits, contributing to a four-run inning that gave the Hawks their first lead of the game at 6-4. 

The Pacers, however, answered right back with three runs of their own, reclaiming the lead at 7-6. 

IUP once again fought back in the seventh inning. Grosch scored an unearned run, and Copple came home on a double from Owens, to put the Hawks back in front, 8-7. Both teams struggled to generate offense in the eighth, as they each went down in order. IUP maintained its 8-7 lead heading into the ninth, needing just three outs to seal the victory. However, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the combination of Dane Samartino, Nick Rispoli, and Addison Clymer allowed the bases to become loaded before giving up two crucial runs to the Pacers, allowing them to walk it off with a 9-8 victory.

Up Next 
IUP will return to action this weekend against Hillsdale College on Friday, February 28.
 
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