DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The Lander baseball team won its school-record 34th game of the season Monday afternoon when it defeated North Georgia, 16-10, and completed its three-game Peach Belt Conference series sweep at Bob Stein Stadium. Aaron Poole's three-run homer gave the Bearcats the lead for good in a five-run sixth-inning rally.
Lander, which downed the Saints 10-5 and 17-0 on Sunday, improved to 34-16 overall and 18-12 in the PBC. The Bearcats scored 43 runs in the three-game series, averaging 14 runs per game.
North Georgia slips to 23-26, 13-17.
Lander will next play in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament, May 5-9, in Columbus, Ga.
The Bearcats won 33 games in 1999, 2001 and 2004.
For Lander, Kevin Starr went 3-for-3 with one triple, two runs scored and four RBI; Colby Painter batted 3-for-5 with one home run and three runs scored; Ian Harvey was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI; Poole went 2-for-4 with one homer, one double, two runs scored and three RBI; and Jordan Owens was 2-for-4 with one double and three runs scored. AJ Nunziato also went 2-for-4.
Scott Elitzky (4-1) earned the win for the Bearcats in relief, striking out three, walking one and allowing two earned runs on four hits in three innings pitched. Ross Davis pitched the final two innings, retiring six of the seven batters that he faced.
North Georgia's Phillip Taylor (0-2) suffered the loss after striking out one, walking two and allowing four earned runs on four hits in 1.2 innings pitched.
Lander trailed 4-0 after one inning and 5-2 after two, led 8-6 going into the bottom of the fourth, but trailed again 10-9 after five before scoring five in the top of the sixth to take the lead for good.
North Georgia took a 4-0 lead in the first, but the Bearcats scored twice to pull within 4-2 in the top of the second. Owens singled, Starr hit an RBI triple, and May lifted a sacrifice fly.
Lander pulled within 5-4 in the third. Harvey was hit by a pitch, Nunziato singled, Starr hit a sacrifice fly, and a second run scored when Weston Lawing reached on an error.
The Bearcats took their first lead, 8-6, in the top of the fourth. Poole doubled but was thrown out at third when Painter reached on a fielder's choice. Harvey singled, Nunziato stroked an RBI single, Owens walked, Starr hit a two-run single, and another run scored on an error.
Andrew Gordon's two-run single tied it at 8 for North Georgia in the bottom of the fourth.
Lander regained a 9-8 lead in the top of the fifth when Poole walked, moved to third on Painter's single, and scored on Harvey's ground out.
The Saints moved back out front, 10-9, on Kenny Bellavance's two-run single in the bottom of the fifth.
But Lander took the lead for good with five in the sixth. Owens started the rally with a double, stopped at third on Starr's single, and scored on a single by Kevin Childs to make it 10-all. Poole followed with a three-run homer to left, and Painter followed with a home run to right to make it 14-10.
The Bearcats added two runs in the eighth. May singled, stopped at third on a hit by Painter, and scored on Harvey's single to left. Juan Montana added a sacrifice fly for Lander's 16th run of the day.
