YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – Lander University hit five home runs as the No. 20 Bearcats swept a Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader from Young Harris College Saturday (Feb. 22) afternoon at Zell B. Miller Field.
Weston Lawing hit a grand slam in the opener that Lander won 7-3 and Graham Ramos broke the nightcap open with a late three-run homer as the Bearcats took a 9-6 win.
The Bearcats improved to 12-1 overall and to 4-1 in the Peach Belt while Young Harris fell to 6-7 and 0-2. The two teams conclude their three-game series with a noon single game Sunday (Feb. 23).
Lawing's grand slam to right-center field highlighted a six-run third inning in the opener against Young Harris starter Cody Beck (1-2). The Mountain Lions got two runs back in the bottom half of the inning on a Jack Morrow two-run single to center that scored Spencer Thomas, who was hit by a pitch, and Zach Odom, who reached on a single.
The Bearcats added a run in the seventh on a leadoff homer by Eric Lunde to right field before the Mountain Lions added a leadoff homer from Odom down the left-field line. It was Odom's first long ball of the season. Odom and Josh Rudnik led Young Harris with two hits each against Lander starter Dylan Wolchik (3-0), who allowed eight hits and struck out four in the complete-game effort.
Young Harris took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a Morrow RBI double to left-center, but the Bearcats score five runs – two in the second and three more in the third – over their next two innings. Colby Painter had a two-run homer in the second while Lunde added his second homer of the day – a two-run shot – in the third.
The Mountain Lions got within 6-3 with two runs in the fourth. Odom had an RBI double to right-center and Rudnik drove in the other run on a fielder's choice. Young Harris added another run in the sixth on Rudnik's single, but Ramos connected on a three-run homer to right-center field in the eighth inning to give the Bearcats a 9-4 lead. Young Harris got their final runs in the bottom of the inning on Rudnik's double to center field, but Brandon White pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his third save of 2014.
Taylor Alvarez (3-1) earned the win for the Bearcats while Justin Cooper (1-2) absorbed the loss. Rudnik, who had four RBI in the nightcap, Morrow and Thomas each collected two hits for the Mountain Lions in game two.
