Aiken, S.C. —- The 23rd-ranked Catawba College baseball team suffered its third consecutive loss on Wednesday in a return from a week's break of action, stranding the tying run in scoring position.

TEAM STATISTICS

- USC Aiken out-hit Catawba 11-8

- The Pacers recorded four of five extra-base hits

- USCA had four of five errors in the contest

- Both teams left seven runners on base

- The Catawba Indians recorded six of eight stolen bases

- USC Aiken's pitchers allowed four earned runs on eight hits and five walks, striking out five; Catawba's staff allowed five earned runs on 11 hits and five walks, striking out six

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Dylan Driver was 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases

- James Dunlap also had two hits with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base

- Sam Hunter and Cole Hales both singles and walked twice

- Seth Sharpe provided two scoreless frames; Casey Gouge threw another

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST INNING

- An error with nobody out allowed a one-out RBI groundout and a two-out, two-run homer to pass for USC Aiken, as the hosts led 3-0 early

SECOND INNING

- Three straight base hits and a sac fly allowed the Pacers to score two more in the second, leading 5-0 early

FOURTH INNING

- Catawba got on the board in the fourth after two walks and an error after a double steal

- Hales scored on another Aiken error to bring the game within 5-2

- Parker Styborski's RBI sac fly added Catawba's third run of the frame

- A two-out error scored another run for Catawba, trailing just 5-4 after four

SIXTH INNING

- Driver's RBI double with two outs tied the game in the top of the sixth before a lengthy rain delay

SEVENTH INNING

- Hunter Atkins' RBI sac fly gave Catawba its first lead of the night in the seventh

- USC Aiken answered with a two-out RBI single in the bottom half

EIGHTH INNING

- Four walks in five batters allowed the Pacers to score the go-ahead two runs in the bottom of the eighth

NINTH INNING

- Driver reached on an error, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, allowing Dunlap's RBI sac fly to score him

- Hales earned a two-out walk and his pinch runner advanced to second on a wild pitch, but was stranded there, as USCA pulled out the one-run victory

UP NEXT

- Catawba returns home to Newman Park on Friday, starting game one of a three-game series with Tusculum at 6 p.m.