GAFFNEY, S.C. – No. 24 Limestone College rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and after being no-hit by Lander Friday, beat the Bearcats 9-8 Saturday afternoon.
Limestone improved to 2-3 while the Bearcats fell to 3-3. The two teams will meet again Sunday at Limestone.
One day after Todd Hughson pitched the second no-hitter in Lander school history, the series moved from Greenwood to Gaffney and was a much different game than Friday's 1-0 decision.
The game was tied at 7 after five innings and the Bearcats took an 8-7 lead in the top of the sixth when Jordan Owens walked, moved to second on a balk, and scored on Ian Harvey's double down the left-field line.
That lead held up until the bottom of the ninth when Saints pinch hitter Marcus Breeden hit a leadoff triple and scored when Josh Lyon reached first on a fielder's choice. With two out, Lyon scored from first when Casey Seay's fly ball was dropped by the left fielder.
Kaleb Earls was the winning pitcher for Limestone while Patrick Grady took the loss in relief for Lander.
Leading hitters for Lander were Owens, 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI; Grady, 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI; AJ Nunziato, 2-for-4; Harvey, 1-for-3 with two RBI and two stolen bases; Aaron Poole, 1-for-2 with two RBI; and Erik Lunde, 1-for-4 with two runs scored.
Lyon was Limestone's leading hitter, going 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored.
Lander took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Jeff May's bases-loaded walk. The Bearcats loaded the bases on a walk and two errors.
Limestone scored four in the bottom of the first, with the rally starting when Lander pitcher Chris Thomas walked the first two batters. Chad Balderman drove in one run with a single, and a second run came home on an error. Balderman scored on a wild pitch, and Lyon homered to give the Saints a 4-1 lead.
The Bearcats scored three times in the top of the second to tie it at 4. With two out and nobody on, Lunde singled and advanced to third on Nunziato's double. Grady and Owens hit consecutive RBI singles, and Grady scored on a wild pitch.
Lander took a 7-4 lead in the top of the fourth when Grady doubled, stopped at third on a single by Owens, and scored on Harvey's ground out. May was hit by a pitch and stole second, and he and Owens scored on Poole's two-RBI single to right.
Jake Rierson's two-run single pulled the Saints within 7-6 in the bottom of the fourth.
Lyon scored the tying run in the fifth when he doubled, advanced to third on a ground out, and scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-7.
Lander starting pitcher Thomas allowed six runs on six hits in four innings of work, striking out five and walking four. Grady allowed three runs on four hits while walking two and fanning two in 4.2 innings of relief.
