CARY, N.C. - William Peace opened the 2026 season in dramatic fashion Friday afternoon, defeating Eastern Mennonite University 3-2 on a walk off single in the bottom of the ninth inning.
With the game tied at two, Jacob Herzberg singled up the middle to spark the rally before Justin Earle and Carson French worked back to back walks to load the bases. Gavin Turner delivered in the clutch moment, lining a single up the middle after working a 3-2 count with 2 outs, to bring home the winning run and seal the Pacers' first victory of the season.
Peace collected six hits on the afternoon, led by Leland Barrow who went 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Turner finished with the game winning RBI, while Nicholas Weisner added a sacrifice RBI earlier in the contest.
On the mound, Landon Coleman tossed five shutout innings with five strikeouts in the start. Ethan Hummel worked two innings in relief, and Seth Svadeba earned the win after throwing two scoreless frames to close it out.
The Pacers move to 1-0 on the season and will face EMU again in a double header on Saturday, February 14th with first pitch at 1 p.m.
