GREENWOOD – The Lander baseball team rallied for three runs in the sixth inning and five more in the seventh to defeat rival Erskine College, 10-5, Tuesday afternoon in a non-conference game at Legion Field.
Lander improves to 16-12 overall, while Erskine drops to 18-11. Lander leads the all-time series against the Flying Fleet, 17-14.
The Bearcats' Scott Elitzky (1-1) earned the win after allowing two earned runs on three hits in one inning pitched.
Erskine starter Robbie Brown (1-1) took the loss after striking out four, walking three and allowing five runs (one earned) on five hits in 5.1 innings of work.
Lander took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Robert Skinner's two-RBI single, which plated Marshall Creed and Erik Lunde.
Erskine trimmed the lead to 2-1 in the fifth when Chase Corn doubled down the right line and later scored on Zach McCarthy's RBI single to right field.
The Flying Fleet went up 3-2 in the sixth on Drew Willingham's two-run homer over the left field fence.
Lander regained the lead at 5-3 in the sixth. With bases loaded and one out, AJ Nunziato and Skinner both scored on bases loaded walks and Jordan Owens' sacrifice fly plate Creed.
The Bearcats made it 10-3 in the seventh inning when Lunde's two-RBI single pushed Joe Tebaldi and Alan Abreu across the plate, Skinner's RBI single scored Creed and Owen's two-RBI double to right center sent Lunde and Skinner home.
The Flying Fleet cut the Bearcat lead to 10-4 in the eighth after Zach Smith scored on Corn's sacrifice fly and tallied their final run in the ninth on Smith's RBI single.
For Lander, Skinner (3-for-4, one run, four RBI) and Owens (1-for-3, three RBI) both doubled, while Kevin Childs went 2-for-4.
For Erskine, Willingham batted 3-for-5 with one home run and two RBI, Corn went 2-for-3 with one double, one run and one RBI, and Smith went 3-for-5 with one run and one RBI.
