AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team lost an 8-6 game to UNC Pembroke Saturday afternoon.

The Pacers are now 0-2 on the season while the Braves are 2-0.

Head coach Michael Holder's team was led by Dalton Graves' two-hit performance. He drove in two and scored once. Josh Sharp added a pair of hits and crossed home one time. 

Jack Hobson and Brock Myers each drove in two runs while Hobson crushed a two-run homer and scored twice. Capers Molinaroli had a hit and scored.

Graves led off the second inning with a walk and hustled to second on a one-out wild pitch. After a walk to Hobson, a groundout pushed both runners up. Myers ripped a double to the gap for a 2-0 edge.

The Braves knotted the score in the third and took the lead with a run in the fifth to make it 3-2. 

Holder's squad regained the advantage in the fifth frame. Sharp beat out an infield single and trotted to second on a balk. Molinaroli's single put runners on first and third. Both were in scoring position after a passed ball. Two batters later, Graves belted a single to right field, plating both runners and giving the home team a 4-3 lead.

The Braves plated three runs in the sixth inning to take a two-run advantage.

Down 7-4 in the eighth, Kaden Usry drew a walk and was able to take his time coming around the bases when Hobson crushed a two-run home run over the left field wall on a 2-0 pitch to bring the Pacers within one. However, that was as close as the home team could get. 

The Braves tacked on a run in the ninth inning for the final tally.

On the mound, Hunter Steger got the starting nod and worked five innings. He struck out six. Luke Parker, Cade Bouknight, Lucas Highberger and Derek Espinoza all saw time on the mound. Bouknight recorded a strikeout in the contest. 

The Pacers return to action Sunday when they host the Braves for the final game of the series starting at 1 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.