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HOME OF THE LANDER UNIVERSITY BEARCATS #CLAWSUP
8
Young Harris YHC 40-17
13
Winner Lander LUBSB25 43-14
Young Harris YHC
40-17
8
Final
13
Lander LUBSB25
43-14
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Young Harris YHC 0 1 0 5 0 1 1 0 0 8 9 0
Lander LUBSB25 3 1 1 0 0 2 6 0 X 13 14 0

W: Sanchez, Joshua (5-2) L: Ryan Cross (4-2)

Adam Love NCAASERG2
Hailey Franklin

Game Recap: Baseball | | Turner Kirby - Director of Athletic Communications

Lander Wins Slugfest for First NCAA Tournament Victory in Nine Years

SALISBURY, N.C. – The eighth-seeded Lander baseball team racked up 14 hits and a pair of home runs from unexpected sources to outlast fourth-seeded Young Harris in a 21-run shootout, 13-8, and eliminate the Mountain Lions from the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional on Friday afternoon at Newman Park.

The win marks Lander's first NCAA Tournament victory since a 4-2 triumph over Southern Indiana at the 2016 Division II Baseball Championship in Cary, N.C. The 13 runs scored were the most in a single NCAA Tournament game in program history.

Every batter in the Lander lineup reached base at least once, and six different Bearcats drove in runs—led by Evan Wickeri with five RBIs and Adam Love with three.

Lander opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the first. After a scoreless frame from starter Jagger Jefferis, Wickeri and Connor Droze each delivered RBI singles, while another run scored on a double-play ball with the bases loaded.

Young Harris responded with a solo home run in the second, but Lander countered with back-to-back solo shots of their own: Cooper Backman launched the first home run of his collegiate career to start the second inning, and Love added another in the third to make it 5-1.

The Mountain Lions came roaring back with a five-run fourth inning to take a 6-5 lead, and tacked on another in the sixth to go up 7-5.

The Bearcats responded in the bottom of the sixth, tying the game at seven on an RBI double from Zach Cowart and a sacrifice fly from Wickeri.

Young Harris regained the lead with an RBI double in the seventh, but a perfect relay from Grant Sherrod to Wickeri to Mario Lopez Jr. cut down a runner at the plate to end the inning and keep the deficit at one.

Lander took control for good in the bottom half of the seventh. After a Garrett Chun walk, Love crushed his second home run of the game—and just his third of the season—to left center field, giving Lander a 9-8 lead. The Bearcats then loaded the bases with three walks, and Wickeri delivered the knockout punch with a bases-clearing double to stretch the lead to 12-8. Sherrod followed with an RBI single to score Wickeri and cap the scoring.

Richie Cortese closed out the final two innings, striking out four and allowing just one baserunner to secure the win. Joshua Sanchez (5-1) earned the victory in relief, allowing one run over 1.2 innings after taking over for Jefferis, who threw the first 5.1 innings.

Lander (43-14) will face the loser of Friday night's game between top-seeded Catawba and fifth-seeded North Greenville in another elimination game at 3 p.m. Saturday. The winner of that game advances to face the Catawba–North Greenville winner at 6 p.m. for a shot at the regional title. An "if-necessary" championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
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Scoring Summary

Score By Innings
Play YHC LUBSB25
LUBSB25 BOT 1st E. Wickeri doubled to right center, RBI; T. Nakao scored. 0 1
LUBSB25 BOT 1st C. Droze singled through the right side, RBI; G. Sherrod advanced to third; E. Wickeri scored. 0 2
LUBSB25 BOT 1st G. Chun grounded into double play 2b to ss to 1b; C. Droze out on the play; G. Sherrod scored. 0 3
YHC TOP 2nd Morgan homered to left field, RBI. 1 3
LUBSB25 BOT 2nd C. Backman homered to left field, RBI. 1 4
LUBSB25 BOT 3rd A. Love homered to right center, RBI. 1 5
YHC TOP 4th Martans doubled to left field, RBI; Chatham advanced to third; Morgan scored. 2 5
YHC TOP 4th Begora doubled to left center, 2 RBI; Martans scored; Chatham scored. 4 5
YHC TOP 4th Hatcher homered to left field, 2 RBI; Begora scored. 6 5
YHC TOP 6th Enrico homered to right center, RBI. 7 5
LUBSB25 BOT 6th Z. Cowart doubled to left field, RBI; C. Backman advanced to third; M. Lopez Jr. scored. 7 6
LUBSB25 BOT 6th E. Wickeri flied out to rf, SF, RBI; Z. Cowart advanced to third; C. Backman scored. 7 7
YHC TOP 7th Enrico doubled to right field, RBI; Chatham advanced to third, out at home rf to 1b to c; Smallwood scored. 8 7
LUBSB25 BOT 7th A. Love homered to left center, 2 RBI; G. Chun scored. 8 9
LUBSB25 BOT 7th E. Wickeri doubled down the lf line, 3 RBI; T. Nakao scored; C. Backman scored; M. Lopez Jr. scored. 8 12
LUBSB25 BOT 7th G. Sherrod singled through the left side, RBI; E. Wickeri scored. 8 13

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