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Lander University

HOME OF THE LANDER UNIVERSITY BEARCATS #CLAWSUP
12
Winner North Georgia UNG 42-15
11
Lander LU 36-21
Winner
North Georgia UNG
42-15
12
Final
11
Lander LU
36-21
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
North Georgia UNG 0 0 4 1 2 0 2 2 1 12 16 2
Lander LU 5 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 11 12 1

W: Andrew Duval (10-2) L: Demurias, Evan (5-3)

Final BSB Recap
Turner Kirby

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

Late North Georgia Rally Ends Lander’s Season in Southeast Regional

TIGERVILLE, S.C. - The eighth-seeded Lander baseball team saw its season come to an end Friday afternoon as fourth-seeded and 14th-ranked North Georgia erased an early seven-run deficit and rallied for a 12-11 win in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional at Ray & Bea Dillard Field.

The six meetings between the two teams this season ended split evenly, with each side winning three games.

Lander, serving as the designated home team, came out swinging in the bottom of the first inning. An error off the bat of Oliver Zohn, a two-RBI double from Lowndes Still and sacrifice flies from Riley Hood and Mason Salisbury gave the Bearcats a 5-0 lead after one.

A Brody Winter sacrifice fly in the second made it 6-0 before Zach Cowart scored during a rundown involving Zohn to stretch the lead to 7-0.

North Georgia answered with four runs in the top of the third to cut the deficit to 7-4, but the Bearcats responded right back as Cooper Backman and Cowart each drove in runs to push the lead back to five at 9-4 after three innings.

The Nighthawks loaded the bases in the fourth and scored on a bases-loaded walk, but Jake Monroe induced a groundout to Backman at shortstop to limit the damage.

Monroe appeared poised for a clean fifth inning after a double play erased a leadoff hit batter, but an error on a play at first extended the inning and North Georgia capitalized with a two-run homer three pitches later to pull within 9-7.

Lander's offense cooled off over the next two innings, though Winter added another run on a fielder's choice in the sixth to make it 10-7 heading into the final three innings.

North Georgia finally broke through against Joshua Sanchez, who relieved Monroe in the sixth, scoring twice in the seventh to trim the deficit to one. The Nighthawks then plated two more in the eighth to take their first lead of the game at 11-10.

An insurance run in the ninth proved crucial as the Bearcats mounted one final push in the bottom half of the inning. Down to their final out, Salisbury drew a walk and Carter McCormick lined a pinch-hit single to bring the tying run aboard. Caden Crews followed with an RBI single to score pinch runner Jarren Metcalf and cut the deficit to one, bringing Cowart to the plate with the tying run on base. But the second baseman's groundout ended the comeback bid and Lander's season.

The Bearcats finish the year 36-21, the most wins by a first-year head coach in program history. Lander also captured its second straight Peach Belt Conference Tournament title and has now won a conference championship, regular season or tournament, in each of the past three seasons. The 2026 campaign also marked the program's first back-to-back NCAA regional appearances.
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Scoring Summary

Score By Innings
Play UNG LU
LU BOT 1st Oliver Zohn reached first on a fielding error by 1b, advanced to second (1-2 BKF); Ryan Hansen advanced to third; Zach Cowart scored, unearned. 0 1
LU BOT 1st Lowndes Still doubled down the rf line, 2 RBI (2-1 KBB); Brody Winter advanced to third; Oliver Zohn scored, unearned; Ryan Hansen scored. 0 3
LU BOT 1st Riley Hood flied out to cf, sacrifice fly, RBI (1-1 BF); Lowndes Still advanced to third; Brody Winter scored. 0 4
LU BOT 1st Mason Salisbury flied out to lf, sacrifice fly, RBI (2-2 BKFB); Lowndes Still scored. 0 5
LU BOT 2nd Brody Winter flied out to cf, sacrifice fly, RBI (0-1 K); Zach Cowart advanced to third; Caden Crews scored. 0 6
LU BOT 2nd Oliver Zohn out at first p to 1b to ss to 1b to 2b, picked off; Zach Cowart scored. 0 7
UNG TOP 3rd Brody Yeomans singled through the right side, RBI (2-1 BBF); Ben Hamacher advanced to third; Hunter Thompson scored. 1 7
UNG TOP 3rd Kyle Robitzsch doubled down the lf line, RBI (1-0 B); Brody Yeomans advanced to third; Ben Hamacher scored. 2 7
UNG TOP 3rd Jake Streeter singled to center field, 2 RBI (0-0); Kyle Robitzsch scored; Brody Yeomans scored. 4 7
LU BOT 3rd Cooper Backman singled through the right side, RBI (0-0); Riley Hood scored. 4 8
LU BOT 3rd Zach Cowart singled up the middle, RBI (3-2 KBBBF); Caden Crews advanced to third; Cooper Backman scored. 4 9
UNG TOP 4th Kyle Robitzsch walked, RBI (3-0 BBBB); Brody Yeomans advanced to second; Brady Skipper advanced to third; JD Coleman scored. 5 9
UNG TOP 5th Hunter Thompson homered to left field, 2 RBI (0-2 KF); JD Coleman scored, unearned. 7 9
LU BOT 6th Brody Winter reached on a fielder's choice, RBI (2-1 BFB); Ryan Hansen out at second 3b to 2b; Zach Cowart scored. 7 10
UNG TOP 7th Hunter Thompson grounded out to 1b unassisted, RBI (1-1 BF); JD Coleman advanced to third; Caleb Farr scored. 8 10
UNG TOP 7th Ben Hamacher singled through the left side, RBI (1-1 FB); JD Coleman scored. 9 10
UNG TOP 8th Caleb Farr doubled to center field, RBI (1-0 B); Jake Streeter scored. 10 10
UNG TOP 8th JD Coleman doubled down the lf line, RBI (1-1 SB); Caleb Farr scored. 11 10
UNG TOP 9th Jake Streeter singled to left field, RBI (2-2 BBFFF); Brody Yeomans advanced to second, out at third lf to 3b; Brady Skipper scored. 12 10
LU BOT 9th Caden Crews singled to left center, RBI (2-1 BBF); Carter McCormick advanced to third; Jarren Metcalf scored. 12 11

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