HICKORY, N.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken softball team lost a pair of games at No. 7 Lenoir-Rhyne by scores of 8-0 and 11-2.

The Pacers are now 12-8-1 on the season while the Bears improve to 25-2.

Head coach Jerry Snyder's team was limited to three hits in the first contest. In the top of the second, USC Aiken's Hayley Elkins blasted a two-out single up the middle. However, she was left stranded on the bag after a groundout ended the inning.

L-R managed to get on the board in the bottom of the stanza due to an unearned run.

Trailing 4-0 in the top of the fifth, USC Aiken threatened to get things going. With one down, Elkins beat out an infield single. Lyndie Dorgan laid down a sacrifice bunt, pushing Elkins to second base. Hanna Hyder came in as a pinch hitter and bounced an infield single to first base to put runners on first and third. However, the home team was unable to push across any runs.

The Bears ended the game due to the run-rule in the bottom of the frame.

In game two, the home team jumped on top by a 4-0 edge in the first inning. Trailing 11-0 heading into the third, Snyder's squad plated a pair of runs in the stanza.

Kristan Lowery reached base on a miscue by the hurler. Brielle Jungblut came in as a pinch runner, but was erased when Courtney Strauss reached on a fielder's choice. Julianne Leduc roped a single through the left side, putting runners on first and second.

Dorgan hustled to first as the third baseman misplayed the ball, loading the bags. Sydney Kate Murphy rocketed a double to center field, scoring a pair of Pacers. However, USC Aiken could not scratch across any more runs in the game.
 
The Pacers return to action Tuesday when they host Flagler in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. Live stats, video and audio will be available at PacerSports.com.