Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Lander University

HOME OF THE LANDER UNIVERSITY BEARCATS #CLAWSUP
18
Winner Lander LANDER 27-18
5
USC Beaufort USC BEAU 12-31
Winner
Lander LANDER
27-18
18
Final
5
USC Beaufort USC BEAU
12-31
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Lander LANDER 0 0 1 0 3 2 5 7 18 18 0
USC Beaufort USC BEAU 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 5 8 4

W: Garner, Teddy (2-3) L: Brandt Phillips (0-2)

Zohn USCA 2026
Nick Winegard

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

Lander Concludes PBC Slate with Sweep of USCB

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. - The Lander baseball team wrapped up its Peach Belt Conference slate on Sunday afternoon with an 18-5 win in eight innings over the USC Beaufort Sand Sharks to complete the three-game sweep.

It marks the first time the Bearcats have swept a three-game PBC series via run rule in all three games since March 19-20, 2022 against Claflin.

Lander finishes conference play at 20-10, marking the third straight season with 20 league wins, the first time in program history. The Bearcats are the first PBC team to win 20 conference games in three consecutive seasons since North Florida accomplished the feat in four straight years from 1999-2002. Lander went 8-2 in PBC series this season and is 24-4 in conference series over the past three years, the best mark in the league during that stretch.

Lander was hit by a pitch eight times in the game, tying a season high. Collin Sweeney's hit by pitch in the eighth inning set the NCAA Division II single-season team record, surpassing Angelo State's 159 set in 2024. The Bearcats now sit three shy of the all-division NCAA record of 163 set by Misericordia in 2023.

USC Beaufort jumped out to its first lead of the series with a two-RBI double in the first inning to make it 2-0.

A bases-loaded walk by Riley Hood brought Lander within one in the third.

The Bearcats took control in the later innings, scoring multiple runs in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth. A failed pickoff attempt allowed Lander to tie the game in the fifth before Hood gave the Bearcats the lead with a two-RBI single to make it 4-2.

An Oliver Zohn sacrifice fly and a wild pitch extended the lead to 6-2 in the sixth.

Lander broke the game open in the seventh with five runs. RBI singles from Lowndes Still, Zohn, and Cooper Backman highlighted the inning, while Brody Winter added his 10th RBI of the series on a fielder's choice to make it 11-2.

USCB answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning, but Lander responded with seven runs in the eighth to put the game away.

Zohn drove in a run with his second RBI single in as many innings, an error brought home another, Dalton Stroud drew a bases-loaded walk, and Kyle Murphy and Backman each added two-RBI hits to push the lead to 18-5.

Teddy Garner earned the win, pitching six innings and allowing just two runs while striking out five. Evan Demurias and Joshua Sanchez each worked an inning to close it out.

Lander returns to action next week with a road trip, beginning Tuesday at 22nd-ranked Wingate at 4 p.m. before traveling to Florida for a non-conference series against Saint Leo. The series opens with a doubleheader on Friday at 1 p.m. and concludes Saturday at noon.

The Bearcats remain in contention to host the opening weekend of the PBC Tournament as the No. 2 seed, pending results from Columbus State and USC Aiken next weekend. Columbus State travels to Georgia Southwestern, while USC Aiken faces regular-season champion North Georgia. The bracket will be released next Sunday after all PBC games have finished.
Print Friendly Version

Scoring Summary

Score By Innings
Play LANDER USC BEAU
USC BEAU BOT 1st Maddox Robinson doubled, advanced to third, 2 RBI (2-2 BFBK); Cooper McDaniel scored; Noah Campbell scored. 0 2
LANDER TOP 3rd Riley Hood walked, RBI (3-2 KBBKBB); Zach Cowart advanced to second; Brody Winter advanced to third; Lowndes Still scored. 1 2
LANDER TOP 5th Brody Winter advanced to second; Oliver Zohn scored on an error by p, unearned. 2 2
LANDER TOP 5th Riley Hood singled to right field, 2 RBI (0-0); Zach Cowart scored, advanced on an error by rf; Brody Winter scored, unearned. 4 2
LANDER TOP 6th Oliver Zohn flied out to cf, sacrifice fly, RBI (3-1 BKBB); Ryan Hansen scored. 5 2
LANDER TOP 6th Riley Hood walked (0-0); Zach Cowart advanced to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third; Brody Winter scored on a wild pitch. 6 2
LANDER TOP 7th Lowndes Still singled through the left side, advanced to second on an error by lf, RBI, advanced to third (3-0 BBB); Caden Crews scored, unearned; Cooper Backman scored. 8 2
LANDER TOP 7th Oliver Zohn singled through the right side, RBI (0-1 K); Ryan Hansen advanced to third; Lowndes Still scored, unearned. 9 2
LANDER TOP 7th Brody Winter reached on a fielder's choice, RBI (3-2 KFBBBF); Oliver Zohn out at third ss to 3b; Ryan Hansen scored. 10 2
LANDER TOP 7th Cooper Backman singled through the left side, RBI (2-0 BB); Dalton Stroud advanced to second; Zach Cowart advanced to third, out at home lf to c; Brody Winter scored. 11 2
USC BEAU BOT 7th Andrew Walters out at first 1b to p, RBI (3-2 BKBBSF); Raeder McIntire advanced to second; Mack Cromer advanced to third; Jon Davis scored. 11 3
USC BEAU BOT 7th Noah Campbell singled to second base, 2 RBI (0-0); Raeder McIntire scored; Mack Cromer scored. 11 5
LANDER TOP 8th Oliver Zohn singled up the middle, advanced to second, RBI (0-2 KK); Ryan Hansen advanced to third; Caden Crews scored. 12 5
LANDER TOP 8th Brody Winter reached first on an error by 3b (0-2 KK); Oliver Zohn advanced to third; Ryan Hansen scored, unearned. 13 5
LANDER TOP 8th Dalton Stroud walked, RBI (3-2 BKFFBFBB); Caleb McKitrick advanced to second; Brody Winter advanced to third; Oliver Zohn scored, unearned. 14 5
LANDER TOP 8th Kyle Murphy doubled to right center, 2 RBI (0-2 SS); Dalton Stroud advanced to third; Caleb McKitrick scored, unearned; Brody Winter scored, unearned. 16 5
LANDER TOP 8th Cooper Backman singled to right center, 2 RBI (2-1 BBK); Kyle Murphy scored; Dalton Stroud scored, unearned. 18 5

Related Headlines