AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team lost a hard-fought 3-2 game to Belmont Abbey Wednesday evening in a non-conference contest.

The Pacers are now 25-14 on the season.

Head coach Michael Holder's team trailed 3-0 through five innings, but the team got on the board in the sixth frame.

Josh Sharp led off the inning by smacking an offering back up the middle for a single. Two pitches later, Jackson Hannon hit a high chopper over the third baseman's head. The ball bounded down the left field line, giving the Pacers two runners on base.

A groundout by Justin Byrd allowed Sharp to race home, making it 3-1. On the ensuing pitch, Joseph Mozingo belted a fly ball to right field. The ball was deep enough that Hannon scored to make it 3-2.

USC Aiken had a runner on first in the seventh and another on in the eighth. However, the Pacers were unable to push across the tying run.

Austin Sandifer got the start on the mound and worked five innings, giving up three earned runs. He had a pair of strikeouts. Jacob Bodkin worked 2.1 innings while AJ Deibel tossed two-thirds of a frame. Dylan Wilhelm threw a scoreless ninth inning, posting a pair of strikeouts.

At the plate, Byrd and Kaden Blankenship had two hits apiece. Hannon and Sharp had one base knock each – with Hannon's being the team's lone extra base hit.

Byrd and Mozingo each drove in a run while Hannon and Sharp each crossed home plate in the contest.

The Pacers return to action Friday when they host Georgia Southwestern at 6 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.