SAVANNAH, Ga. – Visiting and 12th-ranked UNCP pounded out 12 hits and scored 10 runs behind Brad Isom's seventh quality start of the season to even up its weekend series with No. 8 Armstrong Atlantic with a 10-1 rout of the Pirates in the back half of a series-opening doubleheader on Sunday at Pirate Field.

The triumph marked the fourth victory of the season for the Braves (27-7, 9-7 PBC) over a nationally ranked opponent, but its first over a team inside the top 10 since dispelling of then-No. 10 Francis Marion last season in Pembroke. The setback snapped a four-game PBC winning streak for the Pirates (25-7, 9-2) who suffered its first home loss in nearly a month (March 7 vs. Shippensburg) as well.

Keith Whitman booked a trio of singles and was hit by pitch twice in registering a 3-for-4 hitting line for the Braves, with Joe Mangum driving in a pair of runs on a 2-for-4 plate performance as well. Alex Pearce singled and walked a career-high four times en route to registering a perfect 1-for-1 day at the plate as well. Drew Walker and Clayton Miller each turned in 2-for-3 hitting lines to pace Armstrong Atlantic.

Isom (6-2) struck out three and scattered six hits across seven innings from the hill to pick up his team-best sixth victory of the season for the Braves, with Tyler Wood working two scoreless innings for the visitors as well. Chandler Hall (6-2) had his personal three-game winning streak snapped after surrendering seven runs (two earned) on eight hits, three walks and a pair of hit batsmen in just 3-1/3 innings of work for the Pirates.

The Braves sent 10 batters to the plate and utilized a two-out fielding error en route to scoring four runs in the top of the first, and then padded their lead out to 7-0 with three more scores in the fourth. Josh Heath's RBI groundout with one out in the bottom of the fourth spoiled the shutout for Isom, but the Braves responded with insurance runs in each of the fifth, seventh and eighth innings to provide the final.

Isom faced four or less batters in five of the seven innings he worked, including 3-up, 3-down performances in three of those frames.

The Braves and AASU will lock horns in the series rubber game on Monday at 2 p.m. Brian Willis (3-2, 2.20 ERA) is likely to face Armstrong's Scott Strickland (5-0, 1.88 ERA) in the matchup.