MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia - The Lander baseball team split a Peach Belt Conference doublheader with top-ranked Georgia College & State University Sunday at John Kurtz Field. GCSU (33-7, 12-5 PBC) won the first game 8-3 as the Bobcats pounded out 15 hits, but Lander (24-15, 8-9 PBC) won the second game 2-1 as Bearcat pitcher Chris Munn tossed a one-hitter. (Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box)
In the first game, Lander's Adam Hutchins delivered a sacrifice fly to score Malcolm McCleod for a 1-0 lead in the first inning. GCSU bounced back to take the lead with three runs in the second inning on a sac fly from Rich Janofsky and RBI singles from Justin Mills and Brandon Anderson.
Lander would twice cut the deficit down to a single run, but GCSU would put some distance between the two teams in the bottom of the sixth inning with three runs, highlighted by a two-run single from Mike DeVeaux, to take a 7-3 lead. Hans Stancil gave the Bobcats an insurance run in the eighth
inning with a run scoring single for the final 8-3 margin.
Michael Antonini (8-1) picked up the win on the mound for GCSU after allowing three runs on eight hits with two strikeouts in six complete innings. Michael Newman and Matt Howard came out of the bullpen to shut out Lander on one hit for the final three innings. Derek Wilson (3-2) took the loss for Lander after allowing seven runs on 12 hits in 5.2 innings.
Anderson went 4-for-5 with a double, triple and one RBI, while DeVeaux finished 3-for-4 with two RBI to pace the Bobcats at the plate. Jesse Barbaro went 3-for-4, while Hutchins finished 1-for-3 with two RBI for Lander.
In the second game, GCSU got off to a good start as DeVeaux delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the first to bring home Anderson for a 1-0 lead off of Munn, but the Bearcat right-hander would get out of a potential jam later in the frame, coaxing Giuseppe Rivas to hit into a 4-6-3 double play. Lander would battle back in the top of the third as Barbaro delivered a two-run double to give the Bearcats a 2-1 advantage, and that's all the offense Munn would need.
GCSU had some scoring opportunities as Munn did issue five walks in the game, but the Bobcats twice bailed him out with strike out, throw-out double plays to end the second and sixth innings.
Munn (8-2) allowed only one run on one hit with six strikeouts in the complete game (seven innings) victory. Christian Castorri (5-2) was the tough-luck loser for GCSU after allowing only two runs on six hits with three strikeouts in a complete game effort.
Barbaro finished 2-for-3 to lead Lander at the plate, while DeVeaux had the only hit for the Bobcats in a 1-for-3 performance.
GCSU and Lander will wrap up their three game series on Monday at 4 p.m. at Kurtz Field.
