AIKEN, S.C. – The Lander softball team earned its first Peach Belt Conference road sweep of the season Friday as the Bearcats posted wins of 5-1 and 7-2 over in-state foe USC Aiken. 

Lander (23-17, 7-9 PBC) picked up its third consecutive sweep over the Pacers (11-31, 3-11 PBC). 

In the first game, Lander took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a pair of RBI singles from Sydney Grimes and Kasey Rogers. That would be all McKenzi Ferguson (16-7) needed, as the Bearcat ace held USC Aiken to a single run in the fourth inning, allowing just two hits with two walks and six strikeouts in a complete game win.

The Bearcats tacked on three insurance runs in the top of the sixth as Halie Sorrow doubled home a pair of runners and Jace Bennefield plated Sorrow with a single up the middle. 

Caroline Cockrell (3-9) took the loss for the Pacers, surrendering five runs on 10 hits with one walk and two strikeouts in 7.0 innings. 

Looking for its first conference sweep in seven tries, Lander took a 3-0 lead in the third inning as Kelli McCormack put the Bearcats on the board with an RBI single. After McCormack stole second, Rogers singled to bring home McCormack and Casey Wooten. 

An error in the fifth inning allowed the Pacers to pull within 3-2, but Lander put the game away in the top of the seventh. Chandler Carey plated Rogers and McCormack with a single and later came around to score on a wild pitch. Sorrow pushed the lead to 7-2 with an RBI single that brought home Dariean Ward. 

Ashley Vinson (2-1) had her best outing in the circle as a Bearcat, holding the Pacers to just five hits in 7.0 innings with zero earned runs and two strikeouts. 

USC Aiken's Hannah Price (4-10) was tagged with the loss after allowing seven runs on 10 hits with three walks and four strikeouts. 

Lander travels to Emmanuel for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon.