GREENWOOD – After being retired for six years, Lander softball coach Doug Spears picked right up where he left off. Serving as an interim head coach this season, the Bearcats swept Anderson University, 6-1 and 8-7, Sunday afternoon in the Bearcats' season-opening, non-conference doubleheader at the new Doug Spears Field.
Lander opens the season at 2-0, while Anderson is 0-2.
In the first game, Lander's Hayley Leissner (1-0) earned the win with seven strikeouts and one earned run on seven hits in the complete seven innings.
Anderson's Larissa Ostapiak (0-1) took the loss as she struck out three, walked three and allowed two earned runs on nine hits in the complete six innings.
Lander took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on Chasity Davis' two-run double. Brittney Sheriff's RBI single in the second plated Alyssa Hartley to stretch the lead to 3-0.
The Bearcats tacked on two more runs in the third when an Anderson fielding error allowed Casey Corbitt and Hartley to score.
Anderson cut the Lander lead to 5-1 in the fifth, when Rachel Rhodes single to center field, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Charlotte Sieber's double to left field.
Lander loaded the bases in the sixth inning with no outs, and scored the game's final run when Jaime Presnell's RBI single scored Kelsey Davis.
For Lander, Sheriff went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
For Anderson, Sieber went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
In the second game, Lander rallied for three runs in the sixth inning to earn the victory.
Leissner posted her second win of the day as she struck out five, and allowed one earned run on four hits in 2.1 innings of work.
Jessica Neidigh (0-1) suffered the loss for Anderson, walking two and allowing three runs on six hits in three innings pitched.
Down 7-5 going into the sixth, Melanie Davis doubled down the left field line and later scored on Sheriff's RBI double. Lander then tied the score at 7-all when Sheriff went to third on a groundout then home on a throwing error. Presnell then tripled off the centerfield fence and gave the Bearcats the win when she scored on Corbitt's groundout.
Lander opened the game with a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Sheriff tripled and scored on a fielding error, followed by Presnell's RBI single.
Anderson cut the lead to 2-1 in the third when Sieber singled to left, stole second, and scored on Neidigh's RBI double to centerfield.
Hartley smacked a two-run homer – the first in the stadium – over the centerfield wall to give Lander a 4-1 lead in the third and Heather Yoder followed with an RBI single that plated Arielle Buchholz.
The Trojans used the fourth and fifth innings to take a 6-5 lead. Laura Jansky belted a solo homer over the centerfield wall in the fourth to cut it to 5-2, Danielle Swygert had a RBI double, Abby Child and Rhodes RBI singles, and Swygert scored on a passed ball.
Anderson made it 7-5 in the sixth on Sieber's RBI single.
For Lander, Sheriff (2-for-3) doubled and tripled, Presnell (2-for-4) tripled, and Corbitt (2-for-4) doubled. Buchholz and Davis both went 3-for-3.
For Anderson, Neidigh (1-for-3), Swygert (2-for-4), Rhodes (2-for-4) and Lucas (1-for-4) all doubled.
