GREENWOOD – Lenoir-Rhyne's Rob Mullin had two homers and five RBI, leading the Bears to a 12-6 non-conference baseball victory over the Lander Bearcats Sunday afternoon at Legion Field.
Lenoir-Rhyne (2-1) completed the two-game sweep over Lander (0-2).
Taylor MacCurdy, Mullin, Billy Doyle and Hank Wofford had two hits apiece for the Bears while Mark Drucker was 1-for-1 with three RBI before leaving the game with an injury.
Danny Morgan led the Bearcats for the second straight day, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. He had four hits in the two-game series.
Lenoir-Rhyne took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first on two walks, a hit batsman, and Drucker's two-out, three-run double over the left fielder's head.
Lander pulled within 3-1 in the bottom of the first when T.J. Guinan walked, moved to second on Jesse Barbaro's ground out, and scored on Morgan's single up the middle.
The Bearcats scored an unearned run in the third when Nate Mangiapane reached on an error by the second baseman and scored when the L-R center fielder dropped Barbaro's fly ball in deep center.
Lenoir-Rhyne exploded for four runs in the fourth. Jordan Ackley walked, stopped at second on Wofford's single, moved to third when Derek Pugh reached on a fielder's choice and scored on a wild pitch. After MacCurdy walked, Mullin lofted a three-run homer over the left-field fence to make it 7-2. After another walk, Evan Christian relieved Derrick Wilson and got the final out.
The Bears pushed the lead to 12-2 in the fifth on Wofford's RBI single, Pugh's sacrifice fly, MacCurdy's run-scoring double, and Mullin's two-run homer over the left field fence.
Lander showed some life in the sixth inning, scoring four times to pull within 12-6. Barbaro hit a leadoff double to right and scored on Morgan's single to right. After Chris Munn singled and Malcolm McLeod walked, Hunter Ruoss had an RBI infield single, one run scored on a balk, and another came home when Guinan reached on an error. It would turn out to be the game's final run.
Greg Conrad (1-0) was the winning pitcher for Lenoir-Rhyne, allowing four earned runs on five hits in five innings while striking out three and walking three. Kurt Benton pitched four innings of hitless relief, earning the save.
Bearcats starter Wilson (0-1) took the loss, allowing seven runs on four hits while walking six, hitting one batter, and striking out five in 3.2 innings. Christian allowed five runs on six hits in 2.1 innings. Nathan Roubicek threw two scoreless innings, allowing one hit while walking one and hitting two. Casey Pippen finished up with one hitless inning of relief.
