FLORENCE – The No. 7-ranked Lander baseball team got back-to-back home runs from Patrick Grady and Connor Lewis in the sixth inning and a three-run triple by Weston Lawing in the ninth to lead the Bearcats to an 8-2 Peach Belt Conference victory over Francis Marion at Sparrow Stadium.

Lander improves to 16-3 overall and 9-1 in the PBC, while FMU drops to 8-6, 4-3. The two teams will complete the PBC series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.

Dylan Wolchick (4-1) earned the win for the Bearcats, striking out eight, walking two and allowing two earned runs on four hits in seven innings pitched.

FMU's Gary Ashcraft (2-2) took the loss after striking out 12, walking one and allowing four earned runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings of work.

Francis Marion took a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning when Isaac Davenport's run-scoring single scored Michael Wilson.

The Bearcats tied it at 1-all in the third on Grady's RBI double that plated Ian Harvey, then came the solo homers by Grady and Lewis in the sixth inning to make it 3-1.

The Patriots cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the inning when Rhodes Dickerson's sacrifice fly plated Stephen Tarkenton.

Lewis' run-scoring single in the seventh scored Erik Lunde to extend the Bearcats' lead to 4-2.

With bases loaded and two outs in the ninth Weston Lawing tripled, then scored on a FMU throwing error to push Lander's lead to 8-2.

For Lander, Grady went 3-for-4, Lewis 2-for-3, Lunde 2-for-4 and Lawing 2-for-5.

For Francis Marion, Tarkenton batted 2-for-3.