GREENWOOD, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team split a doubleheader at Lander Saturday afternoon. The Pacers won the opener 9-5 before falling 4-2 in the second game.

USC Aiken is now 8-5 on the season and 1-4 against league foes. The Bearcats are 6-6 on the year and 1-4 in PBC play.

In the opener, Tyler Moore led the team with three hits. Moore, Ty Barkell and Rob Youngblood each drove in two runs while Kody Belcher, Sean Miller and Douglas Ard all crossed home twice.

Miller and Youngblood produced multi-hit games.

Forrest Koumas hurled five innings and struck out six to pick up his first win of the year. He allowed one run while scattering four hits in the game. Cole Lee pitched the final two innings. He struck out four and gave up just two hits.

Trailing 1-0 entering the third inning, Miller got things going with two down. After singling to left, he moved to third when Moore sent a shot into right field. Miller scored and Moore moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch. The Pacers took a 2-1 lead when Barkell's single landed in right field.

USC Aiken pushed its lead to 4-1 when Belcher singled home Ard with one down in the fifth. Miller followed him up with a single, plating Belcher. He had moved to second on the throw that tried to get Ard out at home.

The Pacers added three runs in the seventh. Moore came through with a one-out two-RBI hit to left that plated Youngblood and Belcher. Barkell's sacrifice fly allowed Miller to trot home.

After Lander pulled within two at 7-5, head coach Kenny Thomas' team pushed across a pair of runs in the eighth, securing the win. Youngblood's double allowed Ard and Matt Bosse to score the final runs of the game.

USC Aiken tried to pull off the doubleheader sweep, but came up just short. Lander broke the scoreless draw in the sixth frame as the team scored one run.

The Bearcats added three in the eighth, but Thomas' team did not quit. The Pacers' TJ Costen singled and moved to second on Chaz Pal's single with nobody out in the ninth.

Bosse doubled home Costen as Pal advanced to third. With one down, a wild pitch allowed Pal to score while putting Bosse on third. However, the next two batters were unable to tack on a run, as the comeback bid fell just short.

In the game, Barkell, Bosse and Costen all had multi-hit games. Belcher and Pal added the other two hits.

Matt Hissong took the loss for USC Aiken. He went 5.1 innings and struck out six.  

The Pacers return to action tomorrow at Lander in the final game of the series. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.