GREENWOOD – Lander's Ian Harvey singled home the game-winning run in the 12th inning of the opener, and the first-place Bearcats went on to sweep a Peach Belt Conference double-header against No. 9 Columbus State 7-6 and 6-3 Saturday at Stephen B. Dolny Stadium. Lander extended its winning streak to seven and has now won 13 of its last 14 games.
The Bearcats improved to 20-6 overall and 9-2 in the Peach Belt. The Cougars fell to 17-9, 6-5. The teams will complete their three-game series Sunday at 1 o'clock at Dolny Stadium.
Lander's Patrick Grady was one of the heroes of Game 1, going 2-for-5 with a three-run double in the third inning while scoring the tying run with two outs in the ninth and the winning run in the 12th. He started in right field and also pitched three effective innings of relief before returning to right.
The Bearcats trailed 6-5 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 1 when Grady reached second on the Columbus third baseman's wild throw. Pinch hitter Kevin Childs followed with an RBI single.
After a scoreless 10th inning, the Cougars went down in order in the top of the 11th with LU shortstop AJ Nunziato recording the final out, making a play deep on the third base side of short and purposely bouncing an on-target throw to first.
The Bearcats won it in the 12th when Grady singled to left, moved to second on pinch hitter Thomas Berry's sacrifice bunt, and scored on Harvey's single to deep left center.
Lander starting pitcher Chris Thomas got off to an impressive start, escaping a major jam in the first inning while striking out the side in the second. J.D. Pullen singled on the first pitch of the game and Seth Corbitt singled on Thomas's third pitch. But Thomas struck out the next two batters, and Bearcats first baseman Jordan Owens made a back-handed stop in the hole for the final out of the inning.
Thomas struck out all three batters in the second and the first batter in the third inning, giving him six strikeouts out of the first seven outs. But the Cougars broke through when Pullen singled, Cameron Scott walked and Brett Teschner hit a two-run double into the right-field corner for a 2-0 lead.
Lander responded with three runs in the bottom of the third. Colby Painter drew a one-out walk, Erik Lunde singled to left, and Nunziato walked to load the bases. Grady followed with a bases-clearing double, giving the Bearcats a 3-2 lead.
Columbus regained a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth on Kevan Dorsey's RBI double and Pullen's run-scoring single.
But Lander moved back on top, 5-4, in the bottom of the fourth on Harvey's single, Jeff May's run-scoring double to left center, and Juan Montana's RBI single to right center
The trend of changing leads per at-bat ended in the top of the fifth when the Cougars failed to score in part due to Nunziato's defense. Navarro Hall hit a one-out single and Eric Weiss smacked a hard grounder up the middle. Nunziato ranged far to his left, grabbed the ball on the first base side of second, and flipped to second baseman Lunde for a force out.
Columbus tied it in the top of the seventh when Corbitt led off with his first homer of the season, a high shot over the fence in right.
The Cougars took a 6-5 lead in the top of the ninth when Pullen singled, stopped at second on Corbitt's single, moved to third when Teschner walked, and scored when Hall drew a two-out bases-loaded walk.
With the Bearcats rallying to tie in the ninth and winning it in the 12th, Ross Davis (1-1) was credited with the victory, tossing three hitless innings of relief. He struck out three and walked one.
Lander starter Thomas allowed five runs on nine hits while striking out nine and walking one in six innings. Grady tossed three innings of relief, allowing one run on two hits while fanning three and walking two.
Chase Gilreath (2-2) took the loss for Columbus, allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits in 3.1 innings of relief, striking out three and walking two.
Cougars starting pitcher Levi Futo allowed five runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking five in seven innings. Hart Mizell pitched one hitless inning of relief, allowing two hits.
Leading hitters for Lander in the opener were Grady, Harvey, May and Montana with two hits apiece.
Pullen paced Columbus, going 4-for-6 with two runs scored. Corbitt was 3-for-6 with a home run.
Each team scored in the first inning of Game 2, with the Bearcats taking a 2-1 lead. The Cougars got a run on Weiss's two-out, bases-loaded RBI single, but Lander left fielder Harvey threw the second runner out at the plate.
In the Bearcat half of the first, Lunde drew a leadoff walk and stopped at third on Nunziato's double to left. Weston Lawing and Owens followed with RBI ground outs to shortstop.
Right fielder Lawing saved at least two runs in the top of the third when he made a leaping catch at the wall of Weiss's line drive with two runners in scoring position.
Columbus's Kenny Miller scored the tying run in the top of the fourth when he walked, stole second, and scored when Hall reached on an infield hit and advanced to second on an error.
Lander took the lead for good with two runs in the bottom of the fourth when Lawing was hit by a pitch, stopped at third on a double to left by Owens, and scored on a wild pitch. Jeff May's ground out to second plated Owens, making it 4-2.
The Bearcats extended their lead to 6-2 in the fifth on Lawing's two-run single. Aaron Poole, Lunde and Nunziato singled to load the bases, setting up Lawing's single up the middle.
Pullen doubled down the right-field line and scored on Hall's single, pulling the Cougars within 6-3 in the eighth. But they were retired in order in the ninth.
Bearcats starting pitcher Todd Hughson allowed two runs, one earned, on seven hits in 4.1 innings. He struck out three and walked five. Kyle Tate (3-0) earned the win, escaping a jam in the fifth and pitching 3.1 innings of effective relief. He allowed one run on one hit, striking out four and walking two. Scott Elitzky finished the game with 1.1 innings of shutout relief
Brodie Leibrandt (4-3) took the loss for Columbus. The son of former Braves, Royals and Reds pitcher Charlie Leibrandt, Brodie allowed six runs on six hits in five innings of work. He struck out six and walked two. Stuart Shaw, Bronson Gagner, and Dylan Shelby finished up for the Cougars.
Leading hitters for Lander in Game 2 were Nunziato, who was 2-for-4; and Lawing, 1-for-3 with three RBI.
Hall was Columbus's leading hitter, collecting three hits in five at-bats. The Cougars left 12 runners on base.
