AIKEN, S.C. - The University of South Carolina Aiken softball team split a pair of games with Georgia Southwestern Sunday afternoon. The Pacers won the first game 5-3 before falling 12-10 in the nightcap.

The Pacers are now 18-14-1 on the season and 6-8 in league play.

Head coach Jerry Snyder's team fell behind 2-0 in the first inning, but got things going in the third stanza.

With one down, Julianne Leduc singled to center field. Sarah Sams reached on a n error, putting Leduc on third base. Hanna Hyder singled to third base, loading the bags. Sydney Kate Murphy blasted a single to left field, plating Leduc to make it 2-1.

The score remained the same until the fifth frame. Sams reached on an error and hustled to second on Hyder's single to center field. With one down, a wild pitch allowed both runners to move up 60 feet.

Chandler Terrapin reached on a fielder's choice, but Sams was erased at home plate. After a walk by Magan Jean Thrower, Hannah Price launched a grand slam for a 5-2 lead.

The Hurricanes would plate a run in the sixth, but Hayley Elkins shut down the visitors in the circle. She struck out eight in the win.

For the game, Hyder led the way with three hits. Price drove in four.

USC Aiken trailed 1-0 in the second game. With one down in the bottom of the first, Murphy launched a solo homer, tying the game. Terrapin singled and moved to second on a passed ball. Thrower's single put runners on the corner before Price delivered a base knock, scoring Terrapin. Elkins singled home Thrower and Courtney Strauss knocked in Price to make it 4-1.  

In the second, Kristan Lowery singled to left field and hustled to second on Hyder's sacrifice bunt. She was able to trot home on Terrapin's two-run blast for a 6-1 margin. A solo blast by Elkins in the bottom of the third pushed the score to 7-1.

Murphy went yard, tying the school record for homers in a game, with a solo blast in the fourth for an 8-1 score.

The Hurricanes made it 8-5 in the fifth, but Murphy delivered a two-RBI double down the left field line in the bottom of the stanza, scoring Brielle Jungblut and Lowery for a 10-5 advantage.

However, the visitors scored seven unanswered runs for the 12-10 win.

Murphy led the way with three hits – all of which went for extra bases – and four RBI. Elkins had three hits and two RBI. Terrapin notched two hits in the loss.

The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they play at Claflin for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.