GREENWOOD - Columbus State overcame Chris Munn's grand slam and six RBI, holding off the Lander Bearcats, 11-10, Sunday afternoon in a wild Peach Belt Conference finish at Legion Field.
The Cougars swept the three-game series, improving to 10-1 overall and 3-0 in the Peach Belt. Lander fell to 2-7, 0-3. Columbus swept a double-header from the Bearcats on Saturday.
Lander rallied for four runs in the seventh to take a 6-3 lead. But Columbus scored twice in the eighth and six in the ninth to go ahead 11-6.
But Jesse Barbaro, Danny Morgan and Gabe McCann opened up the bottom of the ninth with line drive singles, loading the bases for the Bearcats. Then Munn lined a grand slam over the left-field fence to pull Lander within 11-10. One out later, pinch hitters Jared Altus and Brooks Arnette reached on a single and walk, respectively. Blake Norrell relieved Paul Able (1-0) and got Jonathan Myers and TJ Guinan to fly out to end the game.
Down 3-2 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Bearcats scored four times. Myers singled, moved to second on Guinan's bunt, stole third, and scored the tying run on Barbaro's single. McCann singled and Munn followed with a go-ahead two-run double into the left-field corner. Munn scored on a passed ball to make it 6-3.
But Columbus pulled within 6-5 in the eighth on Rodney Rutherford's single, David Brown's double, Brad Linton's sacrifice fly and Trent Bianco's RBI single.
The Cougars jumped ahead in the ninth when pinch hitter Kurt McKee led off with a single, another pinch hitter Brandon Masters hit an RBI double into the left field corner, and Jonnie Geiger delivered the go-ahead run with a double to right center. Drew Candlin and Rutherford added RBI singles, and Linton hit a two-run single for an 11-6 lead.
Columbus took a 2-0 lead in the second when Linton doubled to the left-center field fence and Bianco homered to center.
Lander scored twice in the bottom of the fourth to tie it. Munn singled to right, moved to third on pitcher Bryan Kilgore's errant pickoff throw and scored when Malcolm McLeod reached second on a throwing error by the third baseman. Brendan O'Connor reached on an error by the shortstop, allowing McLeod to score.
Columbus regained the lead in the fifth when Geiger singled, stole second and scored on Rutherford's single to make it 3-2.
Leading hitters for the Cougars were Rutherford, 3-for-5 with two RBI; Linton, 2-for-4, 3 RBI; Bianco, 2-5, 3 RBI; and Candlin and Geiger, 2-for-5, one RBI apiece. McKee was 2-for-2 as a pinch hitter in the ninth.
Munn led the Bearcats, going 3-for-4 with a homer, three runs scored and six RBI. Barbaro was 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, and McCann was 2-for-5 with two runs.
Lander's Derek Wilson, who struggled in his first two starts, pitched well. He allowed three runs on five hits while walking three and striking out eight in six innings of work. Relievers Evan Christian and Casey Pippen (0-1) allowed five and three runs, respectively, on 10 hits.
Gilgore allowed no earned runs on two hits while walking five and striking out five in five innings. Justin Lee, Johnny Floyd, Able and Norrell finished for the Cougars with Able getting the win and Norrell his second save.
