GREENWOOD – The Lander softball team dropped both games of a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader against USC Aiken Sunday afternoon at Doug Spears Field. The Pacers won the first game, 15-8, in eight innings and claimed the second, 7-2.

USCA improves to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in the PBC, while Lander moves to 3-5, 1-3.

In the first game, Danielle Payne (4-0) earned the win for USC Aiken, striking out one and allowing one hit in 1.2 innings of relief.

Lander's Hannah Newton (2-2) took the loss after striking out five, walking six and allowing 12 earned runs on 10 hits in 7.1 innings.

After Lander scored six runs in the seventh inning to tie the Pacers at 8-8, USCA exploded for seven runs in the eighth when Ashley Metts smacked a grand slam and Victoria Burkett followed with a two-run homer to go along with Makenzie Barbor's run on a bases-loaded walk.

The Pacers streaked out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on Magan Thrower's three-run double which plated Metts, Andrea Daring and Sarah Montei.

Lander cut the margin to 3-1 in the bottom of the inning on Dariean Ward's RBI double that scored Casey Wooten. The Bearcats added another run in the second inning when Emily Marousek singled, advanced to second on Destiny Clyde's single then scored on a throwing error.

Thrower led off the sixth with a solo home run over the left field fence to give the Pacers a 4-2 advantage, then the Pacers added four more runs in the seventh after Samantha Chubb drove in Sydney Murphy and Metts stroked her first homer of the day – a three-run shot – over the left field fence to go up 8-2.

The Bearcats forced extra innings when they tied the Pacers at 8-8 in the six-run seventh. Wooten's RBI single scored Melanie Davis, Clyde went home on a wild pitch, Halie Sorrow's sacrifice fly plated Wooten, Reychel Webster drove in MaKenzie Smith, Ward scored on a throwing error, and Casey Kent singled in Webster.

For Lander, Clyde batted 3-for-4.

In the second game, Payne picked up her second win of the day with one walk and two earned runs on four hits in five innings pitched.

Lander's Amanda Chastain (1-3) suffered the loss, striking out one, walking two and allowing three earned runs on eight hits in five innings.

USCA struck early when, with bases loaded, Murphy went home on a throwing error, then Daring doubled in Chubb and Montei, and Barbor drove in Metts.

The Bearcats cut the lead to 4-1 when Wooten scored on Ward's groundout in the bottom of the inning.

The Pacers extended the lead to 5-1 in the second on Chubb's RBI double to right field, then added another run in the third when Payne drove in pinch runner Lyndie Dorgan. Burkett singled in Daring in the fourth to stretch the Pacer lead to 7-1.

Lander cut it to 7-2 in the fifth after Clyde scored from third on a wild pitch.

Kent had two hits for the Bearcats.