GREENWOOD – Senior Daniel Hinchberger tossed a one-hitter Friday night to lead the Lander University baseball team to a 6-0 victory over No. 29-ranked Augusta State in a Peach Belt Conference game at Legion Field.
Hinchberger, a 6-foot, 7-inch senior, had a no-hitter going into the ninth inning until ASU third baseman Clay Haynes, the second batter of the inning, singled up the middle.
Lander improves to 13-14 overall and 5-5 in the PBC, while the Jaguars drop to 18-13, 4-6. The two teams will complete their three-game series Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
Hinchberger, who improved to 4-2, struck out 11 and walked five in the complete game victory. Augusta State's Brandon Iverson (3-3) suffered the loss as he struck out four and allowed two earned runs on nine hits in four innings pitched.
Lander took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Nate Mangiapane reached on a fielder's choice, advanced to second on Alex Baur's single and scored on a throwing error by Jaguar second baseman Justin Roberts. Lander stretched its lead to 2-0 in the third inning, when Brooks Arnette singled, advanced to third on AJ Nunziato's single to right center and scored on Mangiapane's RBI single to left field.
Lander made it 3-0 in the fourth when Malcolm McLeod reached on a single to the pitcher, advanced to third on Robert Skinner's double down the left field line and scored on Gabe McCann's single to centerfield.
The Bearcats added two more runs in the fifth to make it 5-0 when Arnette and Mangiapane scored on Chris Duncan's two-RBI single. Duncan scored Lander's final run when he stroked his first home run of the season over the left centerfield fence in the eighth inning.
Lander outhit Augusta State, 13-1. Skinner went 2-for-5 with one double, while McCann went 3-for-5 with one RBI, and Mangiapane went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.
