COLUMBUS - The No. 21 ranked and Peach Belt Conference tournament first-seed Columbus State University softball team defeated fourth-seeded Lander University 8-6 on Sunday, April 30 at Cougar Field. The Cougars advance to the PBC Tournament Championship on Friday, May 5 and Saturday, May 6 against second-seeded and No. 2 ranked University of North Georgia. 

With the win, CSU improves to 44-12 and continues the win streak at home with 27 victories at Cougar Field. 

Lander took a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a two-run home run but that was the only time the Bearcats saw a lead as the Cougars scored three runs in the bottom of the inning off of two errors and a Laura Harris RBI single and kept adding on runs.

With bases loaded in the second, Elyse Ambrose walked and Harris followed up with an RBI groundout to extend the Cougars' lead to 5-2. However, Lander's Barbara Cook hit her first of two home runs of the day in the top of the third to minimize Columbus State's lead to only one run. 

The Cougars rallied in the bottom of the third with back-to-back doubles from Caitlyn Canady and Katelyn Cooper, and Hannah Rose Corbin ripped an RBI single through the right side to make it 8-4. 

In the top of the seventh, Cook launched her second homer, this one a two-run shot to give the Bearcats some hope, but Haylee Folds forced two ground outs to Madeline Parker at short stop to break that hope. 

Jessica Lopez earned the victory on the mound after pitching 4.0 innings and striking out two batters. Canady, Lindsey Patton and Cooper each tallied two hits.

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The Cougars and Nighthawks will match up on Friday, May 5 at Cougar Field and will play a best of three series through Saturday. The PBC will release game times later this week.