GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Sam Lander went 2-for-5 including a home run to start the game to lead 15th-ranked West Georgia to a 6-2 baseball win at Tusculum Tuesday night at Pioneer Park.
The Wolves (21-4) record their sixth consecutive win while handing the Pioneers (18-10) their third straight loss.
UWG accounted for 10 hits on the evening including multiple-hit performances from Ladner, Anthony Calabro and Jared Emory.
Tusculum catcher Blaze McCauley led all players with his three-hit outing while Christian Ortega wen 2-for-4 including his team-leading 12th double of the year.
The Wolves jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Ladner led off the night with his fifth home run of the season. Calabro followed with a RBI single for the two-run advantage.
UWG added a run in the second inning, while Emory led off the fourth with another solo blast for a 4-0 lead.
Tusculum got a run back in the fourth frame as Rudy Fernandez singled and later scored on McCauley's two-out base hit. In the bottom of the fifth, Zane Keener led off with a double, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Ben Scartz groundout to make it a 4-2 deficit.
The Wolves added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth inning on Logan Fink's two-run double.
West Georgia reliever Jack Rasmussen (1-0) pitched 2.2 shutout innings as he scattered two hits, one walk and two strikeouts. Ronny Piepmeier got the final out of the game on a pop up for his first save of 2023.
The two teams will wrap up the two-game, mid-week series 1 p.m. from Pioneer Park.
