GREENWOOD – The North Georgia College & State University baseball team pounded out 29 hits in two games Friday as the Saints swept a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader against Lander, 14-5 and 6-2, at Legion Field.
The third game of the series will be played at 12 p.m. Saturday at Legion Field.
North Georgia improves to 19-10 overall and 6-8 in the PBC, while Lander slips to 16-14, 5-5.
In the first game, North Georgia's Daniel Warzon (2-0) earned the win in relief after striking out eight and walking one in 4.2 innings. Saints starter Andrew Wallace struck out four, walked four and allowed five earned runs in 4.1 innings.
Lander's Cory Hopper (5-1) suffered his first loss of the season while striking out seven, walking two and allowing seven earned runs on 12 hits in 4.1 innings.
North Georgia took a 2-0 lead in the first inning after Jordan Erisman scored on Kenny Bellavance's RBI single and Troy Snitker drove in Derek Hooper.
The Saints stretched their lead to 3-0 in the second when Bellavance's right line double plated Erisman, then made it 4-0 in the third on Brent Nelson's RBI single that scored Denver Stovall.
The Bearcats cut the lead to 4-2 in the third inning when Cody McElhaney and Kevin Childs had back-to-back RBI singles that scored Erik Lunde and Robert Skinner
The Saints added three more runs in the fifth inning. Dustin Carpenter led off with a solo homer over the left field fence, then Hooper's RBI single scored Chad Sage, and Stovall went home on a wild pitch.
Lander scored three runs in the fifth to trim the lead to 7-5. McElhaney's RBI singled sent Skinner home then pinch-hitter Pete Hernandez's two-RBI single plated Jordan Owens and McElhaney.
With the help of two Lander errors, North Georgia came back with six runs in the seventh when Erisman scored from first on a Hooper single, Hooper went home on a fielder's choice, Brad Hall on an error and Carpenter, Sage and Stovall on a bases-loaded walks
The Saints scored their final run in the ninth when Snitker's RBI single plated Nelson.
For North Georgia, Carpenter went 2-for-4 with one homer, while Erisman (2-for-3, three runs, one RBI), Bellavance (4-for-6, two RBI) and Sage (2-for-6, two runs) all doubled.
For Lander, Abreu went 1-for-5 with one double, while Skinner was 2-for-3 with two runs, McElhaney 2-for-5 with one run and two RBI, Kevin Childs 3-for-5 with one RBI and Nunziato 2-for-4.
In the second game, Blake Hobby (3-2) was tagged the winner after striking out 11, walking two and allowing two earned runs on five hits in six innings pitched.
Lander's Chris Thomas (4-3) took the loss, while striking out seven, walking one and allowing five earned runs on 11 hits in 6.2 innings pitched.
North Georgia jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second on Sage's RBI double that plated Carpenter.
Owen's double to right center in the fifth inning drove in Skinner to tie the game at 1-1.
North Georgia regained the lead at 2-1 in the sixth when Bellavance scored from first base on a Snitker single coupled with a fielding error.
The Bearcats tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth when Childs, who tripled to right field, scored on Nunziato's sacrifice bunt.
North Georgia went ahead for good in the four-run seventh when Bellavance's RBI single plated Erisman and Nelson, and Snitker's two-RBI double pushed Fredriksson and Bellavance home.
For the Saints, Snitker (2-for-5, two RBI) and Sage (1-for-4, one RBI) doubled, while Bellavance went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI and Carpenter went 2-for-3 with two runs.
For Lander, Childs batted 2-for-4 with one triple and one run, while Owens went 1-for-4 with one double, Lunde 2-for-5 and Tebaldi 2-for-4.
