FLORENCE, S.C. – After falling to Francis Marion in game one of the three-game series yesterday, the Lander baseball team came back with vengeance, winning games two and three to the tune of 11-3 and 10-3 on Sunday at Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium.

The Bearcats move to 11-5 overall and 7-4 in the PBC while Francis Marion drops to 8-6 overall and 6-6 in the PBC.

Although ultimately dismantling the Patriots in the first game of the day, it was Francis Marion striking first in the bottom of the first off a single through the right side to make it 1-0 FMU. Neither side was able to plate any runs until a ground out to second from junior Walker McDowell to score freshman Ethan Wilder to tie the game in the fifth inning. The next at-bat saw senior Roury Glanton fly out to left field to score redshirt junior Bradley Davis to give the Bearcats a 2-1 advantage.

Lander followed up its two-run fifth inning with a six-run barrage the next time up. The first run of the inning came off sophomore Landon Dupert single to center field to score junior Mason Streater to make it 3-1. Later that inning Wilder would tag one of his four hits on the day to center field to score Dupert to advance the score to 4-1. The next at-bat saw Davis single to center to bring home two runs, while a fielding error from the Patriot's center fielder allowed Davis to advance to second and another run to score, making it 7-1 Bearcats. The last run of the inning came via a single from McDowell to left field to score Davis, making it an 8-1 Bearcat advantage.

Lander would take advantage of some sloppy throwing from the Francis Marion fielders in the ninth, as three runs would score from throwing errors by the Patriots to give Lander their 11-3 final score.

Grad student Justin Walker earned his second win of the season to move to 2-0. He went five innings while giving up seven hits, three runs and struck out five. Redshirt junior Davis Agle and sophomore Bryce Jackson combined for four scoreless innings of relief.

The Patriots would draw first blood in the second game as well, as the home side saw a deep fly ball clear the left field fence to make it an initial 1-0 advantage. Another home run, this time in the bottom of the third to right field, would make it a 2-0 Patriot lead before the Bearcats woke up in the fourth.

After a double from Glanton to left field to begin the inning, grad student Mike Fitschen singled to left field to score Glanton to make it a 2-1 ball game. Later that inning with the bases loaded, Wilder drew out a walk to bring home redshirt junior Evan Harold. The very next at-bat saw Davis slap a single down through the left side to score Wilder and senior Ward Bets to give Lander a 4-2 lead. The Patriots would respond with a run of their own, as they singled through the right side to bring in their third run of the game.

Things would heat up for the Bearcats in the fifth, with the first four batters getting on base, and the first three hitting for extra bases. Glanton started off with a triple down the right field line before coming home to score on a double down the left field line from Fitschen. Harold then bashed one out to center field for a double to put runners on second and third. Streater sent a single to center field to score both Harold and Fitschen for a four-hit, three-run inning.

The scoring was not over yet for the Blue and Gold, with Streater singling to left field to score Fitschen in the seventh to make it 8-3 for Lander, while a single from Fitschen and a passed ball brought home two runs in the eighth to give Lander their eventual 10-3 final score.

Junior Carson Schlegel went six innings and picked up his third win of the season, moving to 3-0. He allowed just four hits, three runs while striking out six. Grad student Jack Fox and redshirt senior Praise Thorsen combined to deal three scoreless innings in relief with the pair each striking out three batters each.

The Bearcats are back in action March 19 and 20 as they travel to face the Nighthawks of North Georgia.

#cLawsUp | @LanderBaseball