AIKEN - The No. 2-ranked Lander baseball team rallied for five runs in the ninth inning to win the first game, 8-7, then fell to No. 10 USC Aiken, 10-2, in the second, in a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader split Saturday at Pete Hernandez Stadium.
Lander moves to 23-8 overall and 11-4 in the PBC, while USCA is 22-8, 12-7.
The five-run, ninth-inning rally began when, with bases loaded and no outs, Weston Lawing's RBI single scored Erik Lunde, Jordan Owens' single plated Patrick Grady and AJ Nunziato, then Juan Montana's RBI single pushed pinch runner Kevin Childs and Owens across the plate to win the game.
Lander's Scott Elitzky (2-1) earned the win after striking out one and allowing one earned run on three hits in one inning of work. Ross Davis earned his fourth save of the season in one inning with two strikeouts.
The Pacers' Derek Beasley (4-2) took the loss with one unearned run on two hits in one-third of an inning.
USC Aiken took a 1-0 in the second inning on Bryce Baur's RBI single, then stretched the lead to 3-0 in the third on Will Tankersley's two-RBI single up the middle.
The Bearcats made it 3-1 on Nunziato's RBI single that plated Chris Hyatt in the fourth.
The Pacers answered in the sixth with one run on Stephen Carmon's RBI single to go ahead 4-1.
In the seventh, Lander cut the Pacer lead to 4-3 when Montana singled and later scored on a wild pitch, then, with bases loaded and two outs, Colby Painter went home on a bases-loaded walk.
The Pacers added one run seventh and two in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by JJ Loker, an RBI single from Carmon and a run scored on a Lander error.
For Lander, Nunziato went 2-for-3, Lunde 2-for-4 and Montana 2-for-5.
For USCA, Josh Miller batted 3-for-4, Baur 2-for-3, and Carmon and Ty Barkell both went 2-for-5.
In the second game, USCA's Derek Beasley (5-2) earned the win after striking out 13 and allowing two earned runs on four hits in six innings pitched.
Lander's Cory Hopper (2-2) was the loser, walking one and allowing five earned runs on seven hits in two innings pitched.
USC Aiken streaked out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning with a solo homer by Miller, a two-RBI single by Barkell and RBI singles by Tankersley and Loker. The Pacers extended the lead to 6-0 in the second on Tankersley's sacrifice fly.
Lander cut the margin to 6-1 in the third when Lunde scored on Lawing's RBI single.
The Pacers answered in the bottom of the inning when Barkell scored an unearned run when he reached home on a Lander error.
After a rain delay, USCA upped the lead to 9-1 in the fifth inning on Tyle Bourdo's RBI single that plated Nick Aranas and Miller.
Lander cut the lead to 9-2 in the sixth on Owens' solo homer, but USCA came back in the bottom of the inning with another run of their own when Carmon's groundout scored Loker.
For USCA, Aranas batted 3-for-3, Miller 3-for-6, Loker 2-for-3 and Barkell 2-for-2.
