GREENWOOD – Lander's Daniel Hinchberger and Craig Roberson combined on a four-hitter, leading the Bearcats to a 4-1 victory and a baseball double-header split Saturday afternoon against Catawba College. The Indians routed Lander in the opener, 11-1. (Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box)
The Bearcats (1-1) and Catawba (1-1) meet in the three-game series finale Sunday at 1 p.m. at Legion Field.
Hinchberger (1-0) scattered four hits over six innings and Roberson earned his first save, retiring the side in order in the seventh. Hinchberger struck out five and walked one. Blake Ketner (0-1) took the loss for the Indians, allowing four runs, three earned, on 10 hits, in four-plus innings.
Game 1 was much different with Catawba pounding out 15 hits and riding the pitching of Tim Smith in the season opener for both teams.
Lander took a 1-0 lead in the third inning of Game 2 when Brian Bender reached on an error, went to second on a passed ball, and scored on Robert Skinner's single to center.
Catawba tied it in the top of the fourth when David Thomas led off with a triple into the right field corner and scored on Ryan Query's sacrifice fly to left.
The Bearcats took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth when Josh Lovvorn legged out a double to right, stopped at third on Hunter Ruoss's single to left, and scored on Alex Baur's single to left.
Lander added two runs in the fifth. Skinner led off with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Malcolm McLeod's single. A.J. Nunziato reached on a bunt single, and Gabe McCann singled home a run to make it 4-1.
Leading hitters for the Bearcats in Game 2 were McCann, 2-for-3 with an RBI; and Skinner and McLeod who were 2-for-4 with an RBI. Craige Lyerly was the only Indian with multiple hits in the nightcap, going 2-for-3 with a triple and double.
However, in Game 1, the Indians had six players with multiple hits.
Catawba opened the scoring in the top of the first inning of the opener when Jerry Sands lined a homer over the left-field fence. Nathan Furr hit an RBI single in the second and the Indians added four in the third for a 6-0 lead. Sands started the rally with a single, Thomas doubled, Query hit a two-run single, Matt Kepley reached on an infield single, and Lyerly belted a two-run triple over the center fielder's head.
Lander scored in the fifth when Brooks Arnette and Baur reached on infield errors, Ruoss was hit by a pitch, and Skinner hit an RBI single to center. But with the bases loaded and one out, the Bearcats were unable to score any more runs.
Catawba added three runs in the top of the seventh, taking advantage of a pair of Lander errors. Furr had an RBI single, Lylerly drove in a run with a ground out, and Bubba Morris added an RBI single.
Andrew O'Neal added a two-run triple into the right field corner to make it 11-1 in the eighth.
Sands, Thomas, Query, Kepley, Furr and Lyerly had two hits apiece for Catawba in Game 1. Sands walked four times and scored three runs, Lyerly had three RBI, and Furr, Query and O'Neal drove in two runs apiece. Lyerly wound up with six hits in the two games.
Nunziato was Lander's Game 1 leading hitter, going 2-for-4. Arnette and McLeod had doubles.
Smith (1-0) got the win for the Indians, allowing one run on three hits while striking out five and walking two in five innings. Will Huneycutt, Cliff Poole and Travis McSweeney pitched scoreless relief for Catawba.
Tim Rau (0-1) took the loss for the Bearcats, giving up six runs on nine hits in three innings. Brad Hay pitched four innings of relief, allowing three unearned runs on four hits. Jay Guidry allowed two runs in the eighth and Derrick Whaley tossed a scoreless ninth.
