AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team lost a 9-6 decision to Lander Friday evening in the first game of the series.

The Pacers are now 29-19 on the season and 19-9 in the PBC. 

Head coach Michael Holder's team jumped on top with a two-run second inning. Justin Byrd led off the stanza with a single up the middle. Kaden Usry's base knock pushed Byrd to third base. Kaden Blankenship ripped a single down the left field line, allowing Byrd to score. Three batters later, Josh Sharp reached on a fielder' choice and Usry touched home plate on a throwing error for a 2-0 lead.

In the fourth, Usry reached on a throwing error. Blankenship pushed a single to third base and a throwing error allowed Hernandez to reach safely while loading the bags. Two batters later, Sharp singled through the left side of the infield for a 3-0 advantage. 

The Bearcats took the lead with four runs in the top of the fifth inning. The visitors tacked on three in the sixth and one in the seventh for an 8-3 working margin. 

Down 9-3 in the eighth, Nick Tripp blasted a double down the left field line. After a walk to Sharp, Jackson Hannon singled to left to make it 9-4. Back-to-back sacrifice flies pushed the margin to three at 9-6. 

For the game, Blankenship, Byrd and Hannon had three hits apiece. Sharp tallied two base knocks and two RBI. Hernandez accounted for two base hits. Tripp posted a double.

On the mound, Jacob Fletcher worked 4.1 innings and had two strikeouts. Austin Sandifer took the loss while pitching one frame. Luke Parker tossed 2.2 innings with two strikeouts. Aaron Flink worked the final frame. 

The Pacers return to action tomorrow for the second game of the series at 2 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.