AUGUSTA, Ga. – The GRU Augusta Jaguars gave up three runs to No. 17 USC Aiken in the first inning and never recovered to fall 6-3 in game one of the three-game Peach Belt Conference series at Lake Olmstead Stadium Friday night.

The first meeting of three at Lake Olmstead Stadium saw the Jaguars (16-24, 8-14 PBC) and USC Aiken Pacers (28-10, 14-8 PBC) both toss their senior lefty starters.

Jaguar senior lefty Kip Custer had runners on first and third after his first two batters both singled. Tyler Moore stole second to put runners on second and third and Custer gave Pacer cleanup hitter Ty Barkell a free pass on balls to load the bases. Ryan Metzler sat on the off-speed pitch and sent one into left field to score two.

Senior Ross Miles got the second hit off USCA starter Derek Beasley when he lined a double to left field to start the bottom of the second. In the next at bat Chase Loyd ripped an RBI-single up the middle to cut the Pacer lead by one run. After a Tyler Roberts single, the Jags put on the double steal to move runners to second and third. JD Sabo lifted a sacrifice fly to center that scored Loyd for a 3-2 game.

USCA's Kody Belcher and Moore repeated the first inning with back-to-back leadoff singles in the third, but Custer escaped the inning with a groundball. USCA got two more leadoff hits in the fourth and a failed pickoff attempt and infield error put them up 5-2. Another error from the Jags' infield scored another in the sixth – leading to new GRU pitcher David Bermudez who left runners on with a strikeout.

Sabo scored Loyd in the sixth for a 6-3 game after the two hit back-to-back singles, but the Pacers brought in Ben Black in the seventh and James Lynch to close out the ninth for the USCA win.

Custer (4-6) went 5.1 innings to give up 12 hits for six runs, while dealing four strikeouts in his loss. Bermudez struck out five in 3.2 innings of relief work, while surrendering three hits. Beasley (5-1) tossed 6.0 innings to allow nine hits for three runs. The Jags return tomorrow to Lake Olmstead for game two of the PBC series with the Pacers at 2:00 p.m. and conclude the series Sunday at 2:00 p.m.