AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team registered a 5-3 victory over Newberry Monday afternoon.

The Pacers are now 4-2 on the season as are the Wolves.

Head coach Michael Holder's team got on the board in the second stanza. Justin Byrd led off the inning and crushed the first pitch he saw over the left field wall, making it 1-0. Two batters – and two pitches later – Nick Tripp belted a round-tripper to nearly the same spot for a 2-0 margin.

Jacob Fletcher continued his dominance on the bump, not allowing a run by the Wolves until the fifth frame.

In the bottom of the sixth, Byrd recorded a base knock to right field. Luke Parker laid down a bunt and beat it out for a single. On the ensuing pitch, Tripp bunted past the pitcher to load the bases. Bryce Toci ripped an offering through the left side of the infield, plating Byrd for a 3-1 advantage. Kaden Blankenship was hit by a pitch, forcing in Parker for a 4-1 margin. A James Eckert single to left field pushed the score to 5-1.

Newberry plated a pair of runs in the eighth, but USC Aiken threw out a runner attempting to steal, ending the threat.

For the game, Fletcher worked 7.2 innings. He gave up three runs on five hits while striking out five. Fletcher only gave up one walk. Dylan Wilhelm recorded the final four outs to pick up the save.

At the plate, Byrd, Eckert, Toci and Tripp rattled off two hits apiece. Byrd and Tripp each hit round-trippers. The dyad each scored twice while Parker raced home once.  

The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they host Francis Marion at 4 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.