SAVANNAH, Ga. – Armstrong Atlantic held the 17th-ranked UNC Pembroke baseball team to its second-lowest hit total of the season and rallied back from an early 2-0 deficit to upend the Braves, 9-2, in the series opener on Saturday afternoon at Pirate Field.

Dalton Knight doubled and drove in a pair of runs for the Braves (30-14, 15-10 PBC) who registered just two other hits on the day. Clayton Miller hit his fourth home run of the season and tallied a pair of RBI to highlight a 2-for-3 outing for Armstrong (23-14, 14-11). Dalton Johnson (2-for-4) hit a grand slam in a decisive eighth inning for the Pirates as well.

Logan Cook (5-2) struck out six batters, but saddled the loss for the Braves after yielding nine runs (three earned) on seven hits in 7-2/3 innings of work. Ryan Good (6-3) worked his first complete game outing of the season and grabbed the win for the hosts after striking out five and allowing just three hits and a pair of earned runs.

Daniel Fraga doubled to lead off the fourth and Drew Cole walked in the next at-bat to set the table for a two-run double by Knight that put the Black & Gold up early. Miller cut that deficit in half with a solo job in the bottom of the frame, and then tied things back up on a RBI single for the hosts in the sixth.

The Pirates loaded the bases with their first four at-bats in the eighth and scored the go-ahead run moments later off of a costly fielding miscue by the visitors. Cook walked home another run moments later, and Joey Lupus put the hosts up by a trio of runs on a RBI groundout to the hot corner.

Johnson dealt the final blow of the contest two batters later when he ripped a bases-loaded offering from Cook over the wall in right field.

The squads will wrap up the series with a noon doubleheader on Easter Sunday.