Hailey Franklin

Baseball 2/22/2025 10:31:00 PM Turner Kirby - Director of Athletic Communications

Lander Scores 32 Runs in Doubleheader Sweep of Chowan

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 GREENWOOD - The Lander Baseball team racked up 32 runs on 34 hits, seven of them being home runs, as the Bearcats swept the Chowan Hawks by scores of 15-5 and 17-3 on Saturday at Dolny Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

Winners of six in a row, Lander now sits at 8-5 while Chowan drops to 1-8.

Grant Sherrod (Sumner, Wash.) and Connor Droze (Roebuck, S.C.) each went deep twice in game 1 while Will McClellan (Anderson, S.C.) hit two out to the usually difficult-to-conquer left field at Dolny Stadium in game 2. Mario Lopez Jr. (Tampa, Fla.) added another shot in the first game.

Despite the offensive showcase, Jagger Jefferis (Barnesville, Ohio) and Dominic Puccetti (Monroe, Mich.) continued their hot streaks as the two starters struck out 21 batters combined. Jefferis (2-2) struck out ten in 5.1 giving up only two runs on four hits. Puccetti (4-0) struck out 11 over six innings of work, only allowing two runs.

Game 1: Lander 15, Chowan 5
Lander wasted no time getting on the board as they plated six in the first inning, three of which came off Sherrod's first home run of the season to give Lander a 3-0 lead after four batters. Zach Cowart (Lexington, S.C.) and Taichi Nakao (Auckland, New Zealand) each added RBI singles and Cooper Backman (Sarasota, Fla.) added another run on a fielder's choice to give Lander a 6-0 lead after one frame.

Chowan got a run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly but Lander responded right back in the bottom half as Droze and Sherrod went back-to-back to lead off the inning to make it 8-1 after two.

Lopez Jr. added his home run in the fourth inning, a two-run shot, to make it 10-1, and then Evan Wickeri (Middleburg, Fla.) and Sherrod each added RBI singles in the fifth to add another two runs to the total.

Chowan got four more runs across the sixth and seventh but a three-spot from Lander in the bottom of the seventh off Droze's second homer and RBIs from Brody Winter (Anderson, S.C.) and Adam Love (Roswell, Ga.) wrapped up the scoring.

On the mound, Jackson Bryant (Anderson, S.C.) and Michael Nastro (Charleston, S.C.) pitched scoreless frames to close out the game.

Game 2: Lander 17, Chowan 3
It took the Bearcat offense a bit longer to find its stride in the second game. A passed ball scoring Droze and a Wickeri two-RBI double was the only scoring for the Blue and Gold through four innings.

Chowan cut the lead down to a run in the fourth inning but Lander put their stamp on the game from there as they plated 14 runs across the next four frames.

In the fifth, McClellan got the offense started with a solo homer before Jackson Hoshour drove home two more to make it 6-2 after five.

The sixth inning saw Lander plate four on a Backman bases-clearing triple and a Nakao RBI single to make it 10-2.

Three more runs crossed in the seventh for Lander off McClellan's second homer and another Backman RBI knock. Lander loaded the bases in the eighth and scored four runs on a Sherrod walk, Jarren Metcalf (Campobello, S.C.) two-RBI single - his first collegiate hit, and a fielder's choice off the bat of Backman. Ryan Hansen (St. Augustine, Fla.) also picked up his first college hit in the eighth inning as well.

The Lander bullpen regimen of Kurt Rogers (Westminster, S.C.), Nate Winterhalter (Venice, Fla.), and Matthew Slaton (Pendleton, S.C.) closed out the game only allowing one Chowan run across three innings on three hits while striking out four.

Lander and Chowan will conclude their series tomorrow at noon at Dolny Stadium.

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Players Mentioned

#5 Jackson Hoshour: OF; 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior

#34 Jackson Bryant: LHP; 6' 2"; Graduate Student

#30 Connor Droze: 1B/OF; 6' 1"; Senior

#25 Adam Love: OF; 6' 1"; Redshirt Senior

#1 Will McClellan: C/OF; 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior

#42 Jarren Metcalf: INF; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#4 Taichi Nakao: INF; 5' 8"; Senior

#20 Michael Nastro: LHP; 6' 0"; Senior

#19 Kurt Rogers: RHP; 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior

#15 Matthew Slaton: RHP/UTL; 6' 2"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#5 Jackson Hoshour
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior
: OF

#34 Jackson Bryant
: 6' 2"; Graduate Student
: LHP

#30 Connor Droze
: 6' 1"; Senior
: 1B/OF

#25 Adam Love
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Senior
: OF

#1 Will McClellan
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior
: C/OF

#42 Jarren Metcalf
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: INF

#4 Taichi Nakao
: 5' 8"; Senior
: INF

#20 Michael Nastro
: 6' 0"; Senior
: LHP

#19 Kurt Rogers
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior
: RHP

#15 Matthew Slaton
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: RHP/UTL