Box Score MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. - The No. 3-ranked Lander baseball team evened its record at 1-1 Sunday afternoon when the Bearcats used a five-run, eighth inning to defeat No. 13 Mount Olive, 7-2, at Scarborough Field in a non-conference game.
Taylor Alvarez (1-0) earned the victory on the mound for the Bearcats after striking out one, walking two and allowing one earned run on three hits in 3.2 innings.
Hunter Barnett (0-1) took the loss for the Trojans, walking one and allowing three earned runs on two hits.
The Trojans went up 1-0 in the first inning after Justin Manning singled in Joe Koehler.
Lander tied it at 1-all in the third on Matt White's RBI single that plated Colby Lusignan.
Mount Olive bounced right back in the fourth to take a 2-1 advantage after Koehler's sacrifice fly sent Brett Lang home.
Painter kicked off the five-run, eighth inning to put Lander up 6-2. Painter singled in Taylor Kellner and Will Jones, then, with bases loaded, Zach Daly walked in White, and Painter scored when Zach Giczewski was hit by a pitch. The Bearcats closed out the inning after Weston Lawing went home on Chris Hyatt's fielder's choice.
The Bearcats stretched their lead to 7-2 in the ninth after Painter drove in Kellner with a single to right field.
For Lander, Kellner, Painter and Lawing collected two hits each, while Mount Olive's Manning had three.
Lander will next travel to Claflin College for a 1 p.m., non-conference game, on Wednesday, Feb. 4
