GREENWOOD, S.C. – Augusta began play in their first Peach Belt Conference road series of the season and fell 10-4 to the No. 24 Lander Bearcats on Friday night in Dolny Stadium.

Augusta (13-8, 5-2 PBC) was in a 2-2 tie game in the seventh inning when Lander (18-5, 10-3 PBC) scored eight off five runs for the game-changing lead in route to the win. Augusta matched Lander's 10 hits, but couldn't overcome the big seventh inning from the Bearcats.

Augusta struck first. Sophomore Gage Patton hammered his first collegiate home run to right field for a 1-0 Augusta lead in the top of the second inning. In the fourth, senior Connor Gilbert singled to start the inning and moved to second on sophomore Jim Wagner's sac bunt.

Senior Cole Thompson stroked an opposite-field RBI single to right field for a 2-0 lead, but Lander tied the game with two in the bottom of the fourth and stole the lead in the seventh.

Augusta game-one starter Tristan Jones (4-0 ##) was pulled in the seventh inning after two men reached base. Jones pitched 6.1 innings and struck out 10, one shy of his career high, while allowing six hits for four runs.

Sophomore Casey Lenoch and junior Will Robertson took over the mound in the seventh for the Jags and the Bearcats rallied to score eight. Sophomore southpaw Jordan Kelly closed ended Lander's reign with a strikeout to end the seventh, while closing out the game on the mound for Augusta.

In their last at bat, the Jags scored two to keep it interesting. Thompson doubled to open the ninth and junior Tyler Roberts traded places with him and scored pinch runner Blue Sanderson.

Junior Clint Hardy, who was 2-5, kept it going with a single and senior Hunter Boose plated a run on a groundball, but the Bearcats held on. C. Thompson was 2-4, while six Jags carded one hit each.

Lander's Will Jones struck out seven and walked one in his outing on the mound where he went 8.1 innings to allow nine hits for four runs. Matt White was 3-4 with an RBI and Colby Lusignan and John Magnum each had two hits.

The Jaguars play game two of the series with Lander on Saturday, March 12 at 6:00 p.m.

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