PEMBROKE – Roberto Rivera's knocked in the go-ahead runs with a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning and the UNC Pembroke baseball team rallied back from an early four-run deficit to defeat Concord, 12-11, in the front end of a series-opening doubleheader on Saturday at Sammy Cox Field.

Nolan Pierce doubled, tripled and drove in three runs on a 4-for-5 outing to lead the Braves (3-0), while Alex Minton doubled and drove in a pair on a 3-for-4 outing as well. The duo fueled a season-best 17-hit effort for the Black & Gold that saw 10 players tally at least one hit.

Andy Szamski doubled, homered and drove in six runs on a 3-for-5 hitting line for the Mountain Lions (0-1).

Newcomer Justin White (1-0) struck out one batter amid a hitless eighth inning to pick up the win for UNCP in relief, while Alex Britt retired Concord in order in the ninth to notch his eighth career save. Reliever Nate Werner (0-1) saddled the loss for the Mountain Lions after allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits in three innings of work.

UNCP tacked up a four spot in the bottom of the first inning to grab an early 4-1 edge, but Concord exploded for six scores in the second and one more in the third to go up on top 8-4. The Braves climbed to within a lone run by plating two in the fifth, but Szamski and Trevor Wiersma registered run-scoring knocks in the top of the sixth to pad Concord's lead out to 11-9.

Rivera led off the bottom of the seventh with a single and later scored on a RBI groundout by Drew Beaver, but then smacked a one-out double into right field in the eighth to finish off the comeback effort.