GREENWOOD - Columbus State University pitchers Korey Noles and Jarrett Coker pitched the Cougars to a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader sweep, 5-1 and 12-2, over the Lander Bearcats Saturday afternoon at Legion Field.
Columbus State improved to 9-1 overall and 2-0 in the Peach Belt. Lander fell to 2-6, 0-2. The teams will play a single game Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
The Bearcats were held to three runs on 11 hits in the two games.
Rodney Rutherford and Brandon Masters had RBI singles in the first inning and Billy Howard hit a two-run double in the second to give Columbus a 4-0 lead in Game 2. Kurt McKee's homer to left up the Cougars lead to 5-0 in the third.
Columbus blew the game open with four runs in the fourth. Drew Candlin and Rutherford were each hit by pitches with the bases loaded for RBIs, and Masters and McKee hit run-scoring singles.
The Bearcats broke the shutout in the bottom of the fourth when Jonathan Myers singled, stole second, stopped at third on a single by Jesse Barbaro, and scored on Danny Morgan's sacrifice fly to deep right.
Howard added an RBI double in the fifth to make it 10-1.
Adam Young singled for his first career Lander hit in the bottom of the fifth, moved to second when Nate Mangiapane was hit by a pitch, and scored on Brendan O'Connor's single to right to make it 10-2.
Howard added an RBI single and Candlin a run-scoring double to make it 12-2 in the seventh.
Howard paced the Cougars in Game 2 with four hits while McKee had three hits. Jonnie Geiger and Trent Bianco added two hits apiece. Barbaro led Lander with two hits.
Coker (3-0) got the win, allowing two runs on six hits in six innings with no walks and five strikeouts. Phillip Robinson pitched the final inning.
Chris Munn (0-2) took the loss for the Bearcats, allowing nine earned runs on 11 hits in six innings. He walked three, hit two batters and struck out four. William Dudley gave up two runs in the seventh inning.
Rutherford's two-run double broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning of the first game.
Brian Gordon and Masters added RBI singles in the ninth.
Rutherford, Howard and McKee paced the Cougars in the opener with two hits apiece. Lander was held to four hits, including a double by T.J. Guinan, and singles by Barbaro, Morgan and Gabe McCann.
Candlin singled home a run for Columbus in the top of the first. McCann stole home in the second to tie the game for the Bearcats.
Noles (3-0) earned the victory, allowing one run on only two hits in six innings while walking three and striking out three. Blake Norrell finished up for his second save of the season, allowing two hits in three shutout innings.
Daniel Hinchberger (1-1) took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits while walking four, striking out two and hitting two batters in six innings of work. Justin Altman pitched the final three innings, allowing two runs on five hits.
