Related: Pierce's Walk-Off Gives Baseball Series-Clinching Victory Over No. 8 Columbus State

PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke baseball team scraped together three runs in the bottom of the seventh to break open an otherwise close game as the Braves finished off a weekend sweep of eighth-ranked Columbus State with a 5-2 win over the Cougars on Sunday at Sammy Cox Field.

The result gave UNCP (10-0, 3-0 PBC) its first-ever series sweep of the Cougars, while also marking just the third time (2005, 2012) under head coach Paul O'Neil that the Black & Gold has opened up Peach Belt Conference play with a weekend sweep. It is the first time that Columbus State (6-4, 0-3) has been swept since dropping all three games at St. Leo in early February 2013.

The Cougars had not dropped all three legs of a league series since March 17-18, 2012 (at Lander).

Chad Whitehead doubled to highlight a 3-for-4 outing for the Braves who also got a 2-for-4, 2-run showing from Ben Schmucker. Eight different players registered at least one base hit for the hosts.

Christian Miller (2-for-4, RBI) and Jackson Oliver (2-for-5, RBI) both turned in multi-hit performances for the visitors.

Zach Andrews (2-0) struck out one Cougar and surrendered just one hit in 2-2/3 innings of relief to grab the win for UNCP, while newcomer Wes Helsabeck struck out the last four batters of the game to notch his first save in a UNCP uniform. Bryan Headley (1-1) saddled the loss for Columbus State after allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits and a trio of walks in 6-1/3 innings of work. He also struck out five.

Columbus State drew first blood on Miller's run-scoring single with one out in the top of the first, but Cody Adkins gave the Braves the lead in the bottom of the second on a two-run single to centerfield. Oliver tripled in Brendan Collins in the fourth to tie the game back up for the visitors.

Drew Cole grounded out to lead off the seventh, but UNCP followed with five-straight hits, including run-scoring knocks by Dalton Knight, Schmucker and Whitehead to take the lead for good.

Andrews came on in relief of starter Garrett Hickman to begin the sixth and retired the first eight batters he faced before yielding a two-out single to Blake Edwards and an ensuing four-pitch walk to Joey Lewis. Helsabeck would face little trouble in finishing out the game, however, striking out the last four batters in just 19 pitches.

The Braves will open up a four-game road trip on Saturday when they make the long trek to central Alabama to take on Montevallo (1-4, 0-0) in a weekend set at Johnson Field. The squads will open up the series with a 2 p.m. EDT doubleheader on Saturday, before closing out the weekend with a 2 p.m. single game on Sunday.