Salisbury, N.C. —- The 21st-ranked Catawba College baseball team posted its first two shutouts of the season on Saturday, keeping Mars Hill scoreless in 14 innings across both ends of a doubleheader to earn the series sweep in South Atlantic Conference action.
GAME ONE | Catawba 11, Mars Hill 0 - 7 innings
TEAM STATISTICS
- Catawba out-hit Mars Hill 14-2
- The Catawba Indians recorded five of six extra-base hits
- Catawba had both stolen bases in the game
- Grad student righty Payne Stolsworth tossed a gem, throwing a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits and one walk, while striking out a career-high 11; Mars Hill's staff allowed 11 earned runs on 14 hits and six walks, striking out three
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Stolsworth improved to 8-1 on the season with his stellar performance, tying atop the SAC lead in wins this season
- Dylan Driver went 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, a steal, three RBI and two runs scored
- Levi Perrell also went 3-for-3 with a triple, a walk and three runs scored
- Sam Hunter drove in three more runs on a double and a walk, while scoring another run
- Bo Rusher was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored
- Ty Hubbard doubled, drove in a run and scored three times
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST INNING
- Perrell led off the home half of the first with a triple to right field
- Hunter drove him home on a sacrifice fly
THIRD INNING
- Perrell's single gave Catawba runners at first and second with one out
- Driver sent an RBI single back up the middle to double the lead
- Rusher scored another on an RBI base knock
- Cole Hales' double over the right fielders' head made it a 4-spot in the third, with Catawba leading 5-0
FOURTH INNING
- Mars Hill got its first hit of the game in the fourth on leadoff double, but Stolsworth stranded the runner
- Hubbard drew a two-out walk for Catawba's first base runner in the fourth
- Driver's double to right center scored Hubbard
- Hunter dropped a double right on the right field line to plate two more
- Rusher added another RBI single up the middle, as Catawba led 9-0 after four
FIFTH INNING
- Hubbard drove a double to left center to score the runner from first
- Driver added his third RBI base hit of the game with a single to center to score Hubbard
GAME TWO | Catawba 4, Mars Hill 0
TEAM STATISTICS
- Catawba out-hit Mars Hill 7-5
- Both teams committed an error in the contest
- The Lions had the lone stolen base in the game
- Catawba's pitchers threw seven shutout innings on five hits and two walks, striking out four; MHU's staff allowed four earned runs on seven hits and three walks, striking out five
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Hales earned the win on the mound in his second start of the week, tossing five shutout innings on three hits and a walk, punching out four
- Hayden Simmerson provided the final two empty frames, allowing two hits and a walk
- Rusher drove in two more runs on two hits in game two
- Driver also added another multi-hit game to his afternoon and scored
- Drew Robertson and Hubbard provided the other RBI
HOW IT HAPPENED
THIRD INNING
- Hunter's bunt single loaded the bases with no outs in the third
- Rusher broke through for Catawba with a single up the middle to score two
- Robertson dropped a two-out bunt single to score Hunter from third
- Hubbard drew the bases-loaded walk to give Catawba the 4-0 lead it would hold through seven innings
UP NEXT
- Catawba – who now stands at 21-1 at Newman Park this season – wraps up its 8-game homestand on Tuesday, hosting Belmont Abbey for a 5 p.m. first pitch
