AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Lander baseball team scored seven runs in a three-inning stretch and held off a comeback effort from Augusta on Sunday to beat the Jaguars, 8-6, and claim a Peach Belt Conference series victory. 

Lander (14-21, 9-9 PBC) got on the board first, courtesy of Roury Glanton's second inning solo home run, but Augusta (16-18, 5-16 PBC) evened the score when a wild pitch brought home the tying run for the Jaguars in the bottom of the fourth. 

The fireworks began in the top of the fifth when the Bearcats plated two runs, thanks to a wild pitch and a two-out throwing error, to move ahead 3-1. Lander struck again with two outs in the top of the sixth, as Colton Yeager singled home Zack Moore, setting off a run of four consecutive Bearcat singles, including two more RBI knocks from Mike Fitschen and Nathan Schreckengost, to give Lander a 6-1 advantage. 

August countered with a pair of runs on the bottom of the sixth to make the score 6-3, but a double steal and another Yeager single brought home two more Bearcats in the top of the seventh as Lander stretched the lead to 8-3. 

A two-run double for the Jaguars chased Bearcat starter Joseph Whitt with no outs in the bottom of the seventh. Bryce Jackson entered and, with the tying run at the plate, recorded a strikeout, a sacrifice fly, and a fly out to right field to hold Lander's lead at 8-6. 

Jackson again worked out of a jam in the eighth, stranding a pair of Augusta runners on the bases before Ryan Troutman retired the Jaguars in order in the ninth inning to give Lander its third win in four games. 

Whitt (3-4) allowed three earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and one walk in 6.0 innings en route to the win, while Troutman picked up his third save of the year. Augusta's Tony Jones (4-2) surrendered five runs on six hits with five walks and six strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work. 

The Bearcats will travel to rival Erskine Tuesday for a 3:00 p.m. contest.