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Lander Wins Slugfest for First NCAA Tournament Victory in Nine Years

| By: Turner Kirby - Director of Athletic Communications
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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