GREENWOOD – Colton Rogers pitched eight strong innings while Carson Jones had a big day at the plate as the Lander Bearcats built a 10-1 lead through seven innings and held on for a 10-9 non-conference victory over Limestone College Wednesday afternoon at Dolny Stadium.

Lander escaped after allowing six runs in the ninth, improving to 5-7 with its first three-game winning streak of the season. The Bearcats swept a double-header against Mars Hill on Sunday.

The Saints fell to 9-5.

Lander took a 15-14 lead in the all-time series including winning the last six meetings between the two South Carolina schools.

Jones was 3-for-4 with a home run, double, three runs scored and three RBI to pace the Lander offense.

Mason Dodd was 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Bearcats, Nathan Schreckengost was 1-for-2 with a homer and two runs scored, and Bailey Connell went 1-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI.

Limestone leadoff hitter Garrett Lowery went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs, three runs scored and three RBI. Danny Molinari was 2-for-4 for the Saints while Chase Allen was 1-for-5 with three RBI.

Rogers (3-0) earned the win for Lander, allowing three runs on four hits while walking two and striking out eight in eight innings. Joseph Whitt relieved Matt Thorpe and Robbie Hoyt with one out in the rocky ninth, posting his first save of the season by retiring the final two outs on strikeouts.

Robert Bamford (0-1) took the loss for Limestone.

Lowery led off the game with a home run for the Saints.

Dodd's RBI single tied it in the second and Lander took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on a homer by Jones.

The Bearcats seemingly broke the game open with six runs in the fifth for an 8-1 lead. Colton Yeager had an RBI single, Connell hit a two-run double, Jones added a two-run single, and Zach Giczewski contributed a run-scoring ground out.

Schreckengost homered in the sixth while Jones doubled, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a dropped strike three for a 10-1 lead in the seventh.

Lowery hit a two-run homer in the eighth as Lander still entered the ninth with a 10-3 lead.

Limestone's first three batters reached base in the ninth as Brandon Etheridge's RBI single ignited the scoring. The next run came home on an error, and Matt Orth added a run-scoring single to make it 10-6.

Whitt relieved Hoyt and struck out the first batter he faced but allowed Allen's three-run double, pulling the Saints within 10-9 as Allen represented the potential tying run at second base. But Whitt fanned James Shepherd to end the game.