HICKORY, N.C. – The Lenoir-Rhyne baseball team scored four runs in the fourth inning and three runs in the fifth to claim an 8-2 non-conference victory over Lander at Bears Park on Wednesday night.

Lenoir-Rhyne improves to 16-11 overall, while the Bearcats move to 12-15.

Austin Hancock (1-1) earned the victory on the mound, striking out four and allowing three hits in two innings.

Lander's JD Waite (1-2) suffered the loss after walking two, and allowing eight runs on five hits in 4.1 innings.

The Bearcats jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Alex Conaway scored on a Nathan Schreckengost single.

Lenoir-Rhyne tied the game at 1-1 in the third inning after Justin Dean's solo homer down the left field line.

The Bears grabbed their first lead of the game in the fourth when Fred Wadsworth singled to make the score 2-1. Cole Fowler follwed with an RBI ground out and a two-run single from Corbin Watson made the score 5-1. 

Lenoir-Rhyne plated three more in the fifth courtesy of a Zach Jacobs' home run. 

Lander scored the final three runs of the game as Colton Yeager singled home Chuck Lawing in the sixth and Mason Dodd and Mike Fitschen recorded a pair of sacrifice flies in the ninth. 

Lander rallied in the ninth for one run as Colby Painter drove in Conaway.

Yeager and Schreckengost had three hits apiece for the Bearcats.