GREENWOOD – Bud Lanier homered and Brian Bender had three hits, leading the Lander Bearcats to a 7-1 Peach Belt Conference baseball victory over Columbus State Sunday afternoon at Legion Field.
Lander won the PBC series two games to one, improving to 23-13 overall and 8-8 in the Peach Belt. Columbus fell to 19-15, 9-8. The teams split a double-header on Saturday.
Tim Rau (5-2) was the winning pitcher for the Bearacats, allowing only one run despite giving up nine hits. He struck out two and walked none. Billy Veal and Andy Quick pitched shutout relief for Lander.
Both teams missed scoring opportunities in the early innings. Columbus State had five hits in the first two innings but failed to score. The Bearcats loaded the bases with no one out in the third, but a runner was forced out at the plate and the next batter hit into a double play.
Lanier broke the ice in the fourth, hitting a first-pitch leadoff homer over the left field fence to give Lander a 1-0 lead. It was his team-leading eighth home run of the season. Nate Mangiapane followed with a single, Josh Lovvorn reached on a fielder’s choice, and Gabe McCann hit an RBI double into the right-field corner.
The Bearcats erupted for four runs in the fifth, with three scoring with two outs. Bender hit a leadoff single, moved to second on Jeff Caskey’s sacrifice bunt, and scored on Robert Skinner’s single. Lanier singled, Lovvorn hit an RBI single, a wild pitch scored a run, and Devin Ridlehoover drove in a run with a single to make it 6-0.
The Cougars ended Rau’s shutout bid with a run in the sixth. Wes Adkins doubled and scored on Tyler Baughman’s single. Veal entered with two on and one out in the fifth and got out of the jam.
The Bearcats added a run in the bottom of the sixth when Bender and Skinner singled, and Lanier had an RBI fielder’s choice.
Leading hitters for Lander were Bender (3-for-5, two runs), Skinner (2-for-4, RBI), Lanier (2-for-4, home run, two runs, two RBI), Lovvorn (1-for-4, two runs, RBI), and McCann (2-for-4, double, stolen base, RBI).
Pacing the Cougars were Chris Martin (3-for-5), Adkins (2-for-5), Thomas Morrison (2-for-3), and Baughman (2-for-4, RBI).
