GREENWOOD – Lander's Chris Munn and Derek Wilson pitched the Bearcats to a non-conference baseball double-header sweep 2-1 and 5-0 over Pfeiffer Sunday afternoon at Legion Stadium. (Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box)
Lander won the three-game series, rebounding from a loss to Pfeiffer on Saturday. The Bearcats improved to 7-2 on the season while the Falcons dropped to 4-10.
After Wilson won the opener, Munn pitched five shutout innings in the nightcap while William Dudley completed the shutout with two innings of relief.
The Bearcats got off to a quick start in Game 2, staking Munn to a 3-0 first-inning lead. Radley Raven led off with a triple into the left field corner, James Compo reached on a fielder's choice, and both runners scored when Adam Hutchins doubled into right center. Hutchins moved to third on Jesse Barbaro's single and scored when Kevin Davis reached on a fielder's choice.
Lander padded its lead in the third when Malcolm McCleod walked and scored on Compo's triple to right center. Barbaro lined a double down the first-base line to score Compo, making it 5-0.
Barbaro led the Bearcats in Game 2, going 3-for-3 with an RBI while Hutchins was 2-for-3 with two RBI, and Compo was 1-for-3 with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI.
Chris Dove was Pfeiffer's leading hitter, going 1-for-3 with a triple.
Munn improved to 3-0 on the season. He pitched five innings and allowed no runs on three hits while striking out three and walking three. Dudley gave up two hits in two innings of relief.
Ben Beard (1-3) took the loss for the Falcons, allowing five runs on five hits while walking two and striking out one in three innings. Richard Allred pitched the final three innings, allowing no runs on three hits with one walk and one strikeout.
Lander took a 1-0 lead in the second inning of Game 1 with the help of two Falcons errors on the infield. Davis reached on an error, stole second, and came all the way around to score when Jonathan Myers reached on an error. Davis slid home and beat the tag.
Pfeiffer tied it in the fifth when Justin Ridenhour singled and scored on Jodie Groce's two-out double over the center fielder's head.
The Bearcats scored what proved to be the winning run in the sixth when Raven doubled to left, advanced to third on McCleod's sacrifice bunt, and scored on Compo's single to right. Falcons second baseman Ryan Brown, who was the defensive hero Saturday, saved perhaps another run when he robbed Davis for the final out.
Wilson pitched out of a jam in the top of the seventh to get the complete-game win. Josh Strickland led off with a single up the middle and was sacrificed to second by Ridenhour. Lander shortstop Raven made a nice running catch of pinch hitter Blake Jordan's fly ball in short left for the second out, and Groce flied out to left for the final out.
Wilson (2-0) pitched seven strong innings, allowing one run on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts. The left-hander out-dueled Pfeiffer's Mike McClain (0-3), who allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits in six innings. McClain walked one and struck out two. No players on either team had a multiple-hit game in the opener.
