By BOB STONER
Lander Sports Information
COLUMBUS, Ga. – After taking a clubbing against nationally ranked Columbus State last weekend in the their final regular Peach Belt Conference series of the season, the Lander baseball team had the joy of learning it would face the Cougars in the first round of this week's Peach Belt Conference Tournament on the their home field. (Tournament Website | Bracket)
Bring it.
Season-ending tournaments bring out something special in teams, especially for the seniors who are facing the end of their careers.
Let's take Lander's Darrin Tew, for instance.
A senior pitcher from Garner, N.C., Tew had seen exactly 1.1 innings of action against Peach Belt Conference teams all season. In fact, he had only been called on to start four times this year -- all non-conference games -- before Sunday's first-round game against No. 12 Columbus State, the team that swept Lander, 7-5, 6-2, 10-0, just a week ago.
But, as a result of an injury suffered by Lander ace Cory Hopper last weekend, Lander Coach Kermit Smith decided to go with "Tew the Senior" on Sunday afternoon.
Great call, Coach!
Tew, who improved his record to 5-1, didn't look one bit fazed as he led the Bearcats to a come-from-behind 3-2 victory in the first complete-game of his Lander career.
With the win, Lander advances to play North Georgia College & State University, a 5-0 winner over Armstrong Atlantic, at 7:30 p.m. today.
Tew was still working out the kinks in the first inning when he hit the very first batter he faced. He got the second batter to ground out, the third singled and the Cougars then took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly to deep center field. Tew delivered his first strike out to end the inning.
Lander held the Cougars to four scoreless innings before CSU stretched its lead to 2-0 in the sixth on Bruce Alter's solo shot to left center field, one of only five hits Tew gave up all afternoon.
With one swing of the bat in the seventh inning, the Bearcats got back into the game. Kevin Childs reached base after getting hit by a pitch then Jeff May powered his seventh homer of the season over the left field wall to tie it at 2-all.
The Bearcats got out of the bottom of the inning unscathed, then put together two of the most important back-to-back hits of the season in the eighth. With two outs, Erik Lunde doubled down the right field line to pump some life into the Bearcat dugout. Then Jordan Owens drove a single to center field that sent Lunde across the plate for what proved to be the game-winning run.
Poised to finish the job, Tew calmly struck out the side in the eighth inning.
Lander threatened to increase the lead in the ninth when Robert Skinner reached on an error and Adam Davey walked, but a pop up to first base left the Bearcats holding their breath.
They didn't have to hold it long.
Tew got Columbus State's Mitch Rider out on a fly to right field, then ended the game by striking out Cameron Griffin and Scoop Pharr.
Since its beginning in 1998, this win sends the program to a place no other Lander baseball team has gone before – the second round of the PBC tournament.
During that very successful inaugural season – the then-Senators were ranked as high as No. 8 after taking two of three from No. 3-ranked University of North Florida in their first-ever PBC series – Lander went 24-28 overall and 15-12 in the PBC and earned a berth into the tournament.
Hosting Francis Marion at historic Legion Field, Lander won the first game, 6-3, but dropped the second, 6-3, then ended the season with a 14-5 loss.
The PBC didn't hold a tournament from 1999-2005, but Lander failed to get itself on the invitation list again until this year.
Today, the Bearcats can make history.
