Salisbury, N.C. —- The Catawba College baseball team utilized an 8-run sixth inning to turn a 4-4 tie game into a 12-4 stronghold in its 14-4 victory over 15th-ranked North Georgia on Wednesday afternoon at Newman Park. Catawba improves to 20-7 overall on the season with the win.
TEAM STATISTICS
- Catawba out-hit North Georgia 18-9
- The Catawba Indians recorded five of seven extra-base hits along with the lone homer
- Catawba recorded seven of 12 steals in the contest
- The Catawba Indian pitchers allowed four earned runs on nine hits and seven walks, striking out nine, while the Nighthawks' staff allowed 14 earned runs on 18 hits and seven walks, also striking out nine
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Bo Rusher went 3-for-3 with a homer, a double, two walks, five RBI and a run scored
- Dylan Driver was 3-for-5 with three doubles, two RBI and three runs scored
- Levi Perrell went 3-for-5 with a run batted in and two runs scored
- Logan Rogers was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored
- Ty Hubbard added three hits with two RBI and a run scored
- Austin Fine, Carson Edmiston, Payne Stolsworth, Hayden Simmerson and Cole Hales combined to throw 7.2 shutout innings of relief
- Stolsworth earned the win for his fifth of the season, throwing 1.2 hitless innings with a strikeout
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST INNING
- Driver's doubled in his first at-bat
- Rusher launched his seventh homer of the year to right field with two away to take an early 2-0 lead
SECOND INNING
- An RBI fielder's choice and a bases-clearing double gave the Nighthawks a 4-2 advantage in the very next half inning
- Hubbard's two-out RBI single cut UNG's lead in half in the bottom half
FIFTH INNING
- Rusher's RBI double scored Driver before the go-ahead run was cut down at the plate
SIXTH INNING
- Hubbard's single with the hit-and-run on scored Rogers from second to take the 5-4 lead
- Perrell followed up with an RBI base knock to double the lead
- Driver scored two more on a double down the right field line
- Rusher kept the scoring going with a two-RBI single through the right side
- With two outs, Rogers kept the momentum going with a two-RBI single to lead 12-4 after six
SEVENTH INNING
- Hales' two-RBI single in the seventh added a pair of insurance runs for the Catawba Indians
UP NEXT
- Catawba returns to South Atlantic Conference play on Friday, heading to Jefferson City, Tenn. to take on Carson-Newman for game one of a three-game series; first pitch is set for 2 p.m.
