GREENWOOD – The Lander baseball team battled No. 25 North Georgia to begin conference action but fell 5-1 in the first game of the series.

Lander drops to 8-7 overall and 0-1 in the PBC while North Georgia moves to 11-4 overall and 1-0 in the PBC.

Walker McDowell led the Bearcats with two hits against the Nighthawks. Bradley Davis brought home the lone run of the game for Lander.

North Georgia was first to strike, with two runs coming in the top of the first on an RBI single and a wild pitch.

Lander responded with a run in the bottom of the third, as Davis sailed a fly out to left field to score McDowell.

The Nighthawks responded with a run in the top of the fifth, as an RBI single found its way through the right side to put North Georgia up 3-1.

North Georgia would score two runs in the eighth on an RBI single up the middle to go up 5-1.

Bennett Sloper got the start and went five innings where he allowed three runs, all earned, on seven hits while striking out four. He picked up the loss and moves to 2-1 on the season.

Zach Pellegrino, Evan Mauldin, Braeden Burton and Drew Luckey all saw relief appearances for the Bearcats.

Game two of the series against North Georgia is set for 3 pm on Saturday.

#cLawsUp | @LanderBaseball