ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The No. 22 Lander baseball team split a doubleheader today with the Flagler Saints, losing 8-7 in game one while winning 15-4 in game two.

Lander is now 8-4 overall and 5-3 in the PBC while Flagler is now 5-8 overall and 4-4 in the PBC.

The Bearcats took a 5-0 lead after the first inning in game one against Flagler. Grad student Mike Fitschen sent a sac fly to center field to score junior Walker McDowell for the first run of the game. Redshirt junior Evan Harold was next to bring in a run, as he sent a double to left field to score senior Roury Glanton. Senior Ward Betts sent a single to center field the very next at-bat to score sophomore Landon Dupert to make it 3-0. Lander then saw a double steal from Harold and Betts that brought Betts home for the fourth run of the inning before a single from junior Mason Streater to left field to score Betts for the fifth run of the first.

Flagler would respond in the home half of the second with five runs of their own to tie the game at 5.

The Bearcats would retake their lead the very next inning off a single from junior Bo Richey to left field to score Dupert to make it 6-5.

Neither side was able to bring any runs across until the Saints scored on a sac fly in the bottom of the eighth to tie the ball game once more, this time at 6-6.

Nine innings would not be enough for the Bearcats or Saints, as extra innings would be needed. In the top of the 11th inning, Streater bashed a home run to right field to give the Blue and Gold a 7-6 advantage.

Lander would not be able to hold onto its lead, as the Saints sent a single to center field with two outs and the bases loaded to take the first game of the doubleheader 8-7.

Redshirt freshman Zach Pellegrino was given the loss after pitching the final 1.2 innings while allowing three hits, two runs, one walk and striking out one. Grad student Marshall Thompson started the game, going 8.0 innings of work while giving up nine hits, six runs, walking three and striking out seven.

Lander came out of the gates firing in game two, scoring 10 of its 15 runs in the top of the second. Sophomore Tyler Prell mashed a grand slam over the left field wall to score Richey, Betts and Streater. Later that inning Fitschen sent a single to left field to score Walker to make it 5-0. A wild pitch would score run number six before a grand slam from Richey scored to left field made it 10-0 Bearcats.

The Saints wouldn't go quietly, as they plated four runs in the bottom of the third. Flagler scored two of those runs off a two-run home run to right field while the other two came off an RBI single and sac fly to left field.

The Bearcats would score one run in the fourth off a throwing error before scoring two runs in the sixth and seventh inning. Richey blasted yet another Bearcat home run in the sixth to make it 13-4 while a pair of runs came across for Lander off a throwing error and wild pitch to make it 15-4.

Junior Carson Schlegel picked up his second win of the season as he went six innings where he allowed five hits, four runs, walked two and struck out seven.

The Bearcats continue their road stretch with a midweek contest at Belmont Abbey on March 10.

#cLawsUp | @LanderBaseball