WINGATE, N.C. – The Lander baseball team battled No. 2 Wingate in hopes of taking down the Bulldogs on their home field but fell 7-5 in a close contest Wednesday evening.

Lander drops to 9-9 overall while Wingate moves to 19-2 overall.

Connor Droze led the Bearcats with two hits and four RBI. Landon Dupert was the only other Bearcats with a multi-hit night.

Both the Bearcats and Bulldogs would score in the first inning. Walker McDowell would come around to score on a throwing error at first to put Lander up 1-0. Wingate would counter with a two-run home run to right field to go up 2-1.

Both teams would be held scoreless until Lander retook the lead in the top of the fifth.

After a walk from McDowell and a single from Vincent DeRubeis, Droze doubled to right-center to score the two Bearcats and put Lander up 3-2. The Bulldogs would find runs in the bottom of the sixth, as a double brought home a pair of runs to give Wingate a 4-3 edge.

Lander would tie the ballgame at 4-4 on a sac fly from Droze that brought home McDowell in the seventh.

The bottom of the eight was a big inning for Wingate. The Bulldogs took back the lead on a wild pitch to go up 5-4 while a double to right-center made things a 7-4 contest for Wingate.

Droze hit an RBI double in the top of the ninth to bring Lander within two runs, but the Bearcats could advance no further.  

Nick Foray got the start and went 4.1 innings. Foray struck out nine while allowing two runs, none earned on one hit. Anson Merrick was awarded the loss after pitching two innings while allowing three runs, all earned, on three hits. Zach Pellegrino, Kurt Rogers and Drew Luckey all saw relief appearances against Wingate.

Lander travels to face Georgia College for a conference series beginning Saturday.

#cLawsUp | @LanderBaseball