AIKEN, S.C. – The USCA baseball team dropped a hard-fought 7-5 contest to Emory & Henry Sunday afternoon in the series finale.

The Pacers are now 5-1 on the season.

Head coach Keith Gorman's team took a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Joshua Johnson walked and took second on a base knock from Chancellor Jennings. Yariel Diaz's single to center field pushed Johnson across for a one-run margin.

Down 6-1 in the sixth, Salvatore Laimo drew a one-out walk. Maverick Grigsby reached on an error, putting two on. Ryan Becker's single plated Laimo. Moments later, Osmin Melendez's groundout allowed Grigsby to cross home plate. Cannon Jones raced home on a wild pitch, bringing the Pacers within two, 6-4.

Trailing 7-4 in the ninth, Evan Harding roped a double down the left field line. He moved to third on a groundout by Jennings. Harding score on a groundout by Diaz, but a line drive ended the game.

For the game, Diaz drove in two runs. Harding and Johnson each had doubles. Becker drove in a run in the loss.

On the mound, Ben Shepherd got the start and worked 4.1 innings. He had three strikeouts. Brady Dunlop tossed the final 4.2 innings and had seven strikeouts.

The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they play at Erskine at 2 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.