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Lander University

HOME OF THE LANDER UNIVERSITY BEARCATS #CLAWSUP
4
Middle Georgia State MGA 3-6, 0-1 PBC
14
Winner Lander LANDER 7-1, 1-0 PBC
Middle Georgia State MGA
3-6, 0-1 PBC
4
Final
14
Lander LANDER
7-1, 1-0 PBC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Middle Georgia State MGA 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 4 6 1
Lander LANDER 1 0 0 0 1 5 1 6 14 16 1

W: Larson, Jake (2-0) L: E. Gill (0-2)

BSB vs. Belmont Abbey 2/10/26
Nicholas Winegard

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

Lander Powers to Run-Rule Victory in Conference Opener

GREENWOOD — The No. 27 Lander baseball team scored 12 runs over the final four innings to secure a run-rule shortened 14-4 victory over Middle Georgia State in eight innings in the Peach Belt Conference opener for both clubs Friday evening at Dolny Stadium.

The win marks the fourth straight year the Bearcats have claimed their conference opener and this was the first meeting in program history against the conference newcomer.

Brody Winter led the offensive surge with four hits, including a towering 400-foot two-run homer during Lander's five-run sixth inning.

Oliver Zohn added three hits, while Will McClellan, Zach Cowart and Joseph Cavallaro each recorded two. Cavallaro's two hits came in the eighth inning after pinch-hitting for Cowart, marking the first two hits of his career.

Ryan Hansen opened the game with a bloop single and scored on a pair of wild pitches to give Lander an early 1-0 lead.

The Bearcats doubled the advantage in the fifth when Caden Crews lifted a sacrifice fly to score Zohn and make it 2-0.

Jake Larson delivered another strong outing, tossing six innings and allowing five hits and three runs while earning his second win of the season. All three runs came in the seventh after a lengthy sixth inning in which Lander batted around.

McClellan ignited that sixth inning with his first home run of the season, a leadoff blast to left. Pip Smalley followed with a single and later scored on an RBI double by Cowart to chase Middle Georgia starter Ethan Gill. Winter greeted reliever Brandon Exley with a first-pitch two-run homer to left to extend the lead to 6-0. Three consecutive Bearcats then reached via walk or hit by pitch, allowing Cooper Backman to score on a bases-loaded walk by McClellan to cap the five-run frame and push the margin to 7-0.

Middle Georgia responded with three runs in the seventh to cut the deficit to 7-3. Lander answered in the bottom half as Cowart singled and later scored on an RBI double from Zohn to make it 8-3.

The Knights added a run in the eighth, but the Bearcats sealed the run-rule victory with a six-run bottom half.

Cavallaro sparked the inning with the first hit of his career, a double into the left-center gap. After Carter McCormick walked and Cowart was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Winter singled home Cavallaro and McCormick to make it 10-4. Riley Hood followed with a two-run double to extend the lead to 12-4. Zohn then lined an RBI double off the top of the wall in right field to make it 13-4 before Cavallaro delivered a walk-off RBI single to score Zohn and enforce the 10-run rule.

The teams will conclude the series Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at Dolny Stadium.
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Scoring Summary

Score By Innings
Play MGA LANDER
LANDER BOT 1st R. Hansen scored on a wild pitch. 0 1
LANDER BOT 5th C. Crews flied out to lf, SAC, RBI; O. Zohn scored. 0 2
LANDER BOT 6th W. McClellan homered to left field, RBI. 0 3
LANDER BOT 6th Z. Cowart doubled down the rf line, RBI; P. Smalley scored. 0 4
LANDER BOT 6th B. Winter homered to left field, 2 RBI; Z. Cowart scored. 0 6
LANDER BOT 6th W. McClellan walked, RBI; R. Hansen advanced to second; C. Crews advanced to third; C. Backman scored. 0 7
MGA TOP 7th J. Aponte tripled to right field, 2 RBI; S. Collender scored; M. Ashley scored. 2 7
MGA TOP 7th J. Aponte scored on a wild pitch. 3 7
LANDER BOT 7th O. Zohn doubled to right field, RBI; Z. Cowart scored. 3 8
MGA TOP 8th T. Pimentel scored on a wild pitch. 4 8
LANDER BOT 8th B. Winter singled to right center, 2 RBI; Z. Cowart advanced to third; C. McCormick scored; J. Cavallaro scored. 4 10
LANDER BOT 8th R. Hood doubled to left center, 2 RBI; B. Winter scored; Z. Cowart scored. 4 12
LANDER BOT 8th O. Zohn doubled to right center, RBI; R. Hood scored. 4 13
LANDER BOT 8th J. Cavallaro singled to left field, RBI; C. Backman advanced to third; O. Zohn scored. 4 14

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