AIKEN, S.C. – The USCA baseball team lost a 10-5 contest to Emmanuel Friday evening in the first game of the three-game series.

The Pacers are now 2-2 on the season while the Lions stand at 3-2.

Trailing 2-0 heading into the bottom of the third inning, Jack Hobson ripped an offering down the right field line that cleared the wall, slicing the deficit to just one, 2-1. After Cannon Jones reached on an error, he crossed home when Josh Sharp blasted a triple to right center field. A Capers Molinaroli groundout pushed Sharp across the plate for a 3-2 advantage.

Down 4-3 in the fifth stanza, Sharp took a 1-1 offering and promptly registered his first round-tripper of the season. The shot hit the top of the wall before bounding behind it for the home run.

The Lions plated five runs in the sixth for a 9-4 lead. The visitors managed to push across a run in the eighth for a six-run advantage.

USCA battled back in the bottom of the ninth. With two on and two out, Sharp pushed a pitch into the ground and the bounding ball went off the glove of the first baseman before getting into right field, allowing Wyatt McPherson to reach home plate.

Head coach Michael Holder's team was led by Sharp's three-hit, three-RBI, two-run performance. He accounted for a home run and a triple. Hobson and Molinaroli each drove in one while Hobson and Jones each crossed home once.

On the mound, Blayne Newman worked four innings and had five strikeouts. Damien Ashley worked a frame while Jared Huse tossed one-third of an inning. Jacob Bodkin worked two-thirds of a frame while Connor Sampers went 1.2 innings. Logan Jamrosz tossed the final 1.1 innings. Jamrosz and Sampers had two strikeouts each while Bodkin and Huse had a strikeout apiece.

The Pacers return to action tomorrow when they host the Lions at 2 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.