AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team notched an 8-5 victory over Emmanuel Wednesday evening in a non-conference contest.

The Pacers are now 12-8 on the year while the Lions fall to 8-13.

Head coach Kenny Thomas' team fell behind 2-0 after the first inning. However, USC Aiken plated three runs in the third and added five in the fourth to break open the contest.

Tyler Littlefield led off the third with a single and moved to second when Tai Gilbert reached on an error. Marcus Mastellone reached on a throwing error, allowing both runners to score. Mastellone scored on a Jackson Hannon groundout for a 3-2 edge.

Alex Mills led off the fourth with a blast to left center field for a double. After Jeff Cyr was hit by a pitch, Littlefield drove in Mills with a double to center field. Gilbert launched a 2-1 offering over the wall to make it 7-2. Moments later, Scott Huntley singled and swiped second base. Two batters later, he crossed home plate on an Eric McGirt single.

The Lions plated a run in the fifth and two in the eighth, making it 8-5. However, neither team would push across another run the rest of the way.

For the game, Littlefield and Mills had two hits apiece. Gilbert drove in three runs. Gilbert and Littlefield each scored twice. USC Aiken had three extra-base hits.

Blake Seigler got the starting nod. He went three frames. Seigler struck out four while facing 13 batters. Joel Haney garnered the win. He worked three innings and had four strikeouts. Connor Christensen came in to start the seventh stanza and tossed 1.1 frames. Austin Sandifer finished the eighth. With one on in the ninth, Austin Hohm entered from the bullpen and promptly struck out the next three batters for the save.

The Pacers return to action Friday when they host No. 13 Columbus State. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.