Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 AIKEN, S.C. – The USC Aiken softball team dropped a pair of non-conference games to region foe Lenoir-Rhyne Tuesday afternoon at J.H. Satcher Field. Lenoir-Rhyne took the first game 4-1 in 10 innings before just nipping the Pacers 3-2 in the second game.

The Bears improve to 26-4 on the 2010 season while the Pacers fall to one over .500 at 12-11 on the regular season.

Lauren Locklear (Charleston, S.C./Wando) led USC Aiken at the plate for the day with two home runs to keep both games close for the Pacers. 

Neither team was able to pull ahead through most of the first game in what became a classic pitchers' duel and defensive struggle until Lenoir-Rhyne put one run across in the top of the seventh inning.

With the game on the line, the junior slugger Locklear stepped up to the plate and knocked a ball off the top of the leftfield fence for a home run to even the score at 1-1. The Pacers were unable to find the go-ahead run over the next few batters sending the game into extra innings.

Both teams' defenses stepped up in the eighth inning and were able to hold the others' offenses to three-up-three-down to send the game into the ninth frame.

The Bears looked to be in position to break through in the top of the ninth inning with two runners on, but the Pacer defense was able to shut them down and get out of the inning. First baseman Blair Warren (Darlington, S.C./Florence-Darlington Tech) secured the third out on a foul fly out by Brandi Haithcock.

Freshman Lindsey Jones (North Augusta, S.C./North Augusta) led off the bottom of the ninth inning for the Pacers with a double to deep left field to put herself in scoring position for Locklear. Locklear sent a shot to the short stop who threw her out at first allowing Jones to advance to third, but the Pacers could not capitalize on her position and were forced to take the game into the tenth frame.

Lenoir-Rhyne's junior shortstop, Kat Rivers, was able to give the Bears the lead and eventual win in the top of the tenth inning when she sent a three-run home run over the left-center fence to put the Bears ahead 4-1.

Dawon Millwood secured the win for the Bears in 10 innings of work striking out eight batters. She improves to 11-2 on the 2010 campaign.

Kathleen Nichols (Orange City, Fla./Daytona Beach) took the loss inside the circle for the Pacers striking out a career and season-high-tying five batters in 10 frames of work. She is now 0-4 on the season.

Lenoir-Rhyne's designated player Ashley Duckworth put the Bears up first in the second game when she went yard with a two-run ball hit deep over the left-center fence putting the Bears up 2-0.

USC Aiken's designated player Kelley King (Chesterfield, S.C./Chesterfield) led off the bottom of the third frame by lacing a double to right-center field and then moved over to third off a sacrifice bunt by Jones. King stole home a few moments later when the catcher over-threw the third baseman in a failed pickoff attempt to cut the Pacers' deficit to one.

Locklear tied things up for the Pacers in the bottom of the sixth inning as she continued her stout hitting performance with her second home run on the day, fourth of the season, to tie things up at 2-2.

Brittany Cherry put the Bears back on top for good in the top of the seventh inning with a home run hit deep over the centerfield fence to put the score at 3-2.

Alex Smith earned the win for Lenoir-Rhyne. She improves to 11-2 on the season.

Senior hurler Toni Flessate (Goose Creek, S.C./Stratford) took the loss for USC Aiken striking out four batters. She falls to 6-3 on the season.

The Pacers will now begin a 10-game road trek beginning with a trip to Dahlonega, Ga. for a conference double header against the Saints of No. 1 North Georgia on Thursday, Mar. 18. The first pitch of the first game is scheduled to leave the circle at 4 p.m. with the second game to follow immediately after at around 6 p.m.