GREENWOOD – Brian Bender’s three-run triple gave Lander the lead and the Bearcats held off Anderson University 7-6 Wednesday night in a non-conference baseball game at Legion Field.
Lander improved to 21-12 while the Trojans fell to 16-24.
The Bearcats took a 3-0 lead in the third after Hunter Dowis and Bender led off with walks. Dowis moved to third on Devin Ridlehoover’s fly out to deep center and scored the first run of the game on Josh Lovvorn’s bunt single. Bender crossed the plate on Robert Skinner’s double to left and Lovvorn scored on a wild pitch.
The Trojans took a 5-3 lead in the fifth on four hits and three walks. Alex Roberson walked and Nick Easterlin and B.J. Smith singled to load the bases. Derek Hipp hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Anderson’s first run, Easterlin crossed the plate on a balk, and Brad Carson singled home the tying run. Josh Grubbs hit a go-ahead two-run single.
The Bearcats regained the lead with a two-out, four-run rally in the bottom of the sixth. Gabe McCann walked, Brooks Reames singled, and Dowis walked for the third time in the game to load the bases. Bender gave Lander the lead with a bases-clearing triple to right center. Bender scored on a wild pitch to give the Bearcats a 7-5 lead.
Anderson pulled within a run in the top of the seventh when Carson reached on an infield single, moved to third on Trent Still’s single, and scored on Jared Rikard’s single.
But Bearcats pitchers Andy Quick and David Glover shut the Trojans down the rest of the game. Billy Veal (4-0) was credited with the win in relief of Ridlehoover, while Glover retired all four batters he faced for his eighth save. He got the last out in the eighth with the tying and lead runners on base. Luis Martinez (1-1) took the loss for Anderson.
Leading hitters for Lander were Bender (1-for-4, two runs, three RBI), Lovvorn (2-for-4, RBI), Skinner (1-for-3, RBI) and Dowis (four walks, two runs). Leading batters for Anderson were Carson (2-for-5, two runs, RBI), Rikard (2-for-2), Ryan Saxon (2-for-4), and Grubbs (1-for-4, two RBI).
