Salisbury, N.C. —- The 15th-ranked and top-seeded Catawba College baseball team came from behind and walked off a SAC rival for second time in a week, scoring six unanswered runs capped by senior first baseman Logan Rogers' walk-off two-run homer to dead center to edge 8th-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament opener late Friday night.
TEAM STATS
- Lenoir-Rhyne out-hit Catawba 11-10
- The Catawba Indians recorded five of seven extra-base hits and both homers
- Catawba committed both errors in the field
- The Catawba Indian pitchers allowed five earned runs on 11 hits and three walks, striking out seven; LR's staff allowed eight earned runs on 10 hits and seven walks, striking out nine
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Dylan Driver was 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, three RBI and two runs scored
- Rogers hit the walk-off two-run homer to cap the comeback
- Bo Rusher singled, walked, drove in a run and scored
- Ty Hubbard doubled, walked and scored twice
- Mason Gwyn got the win on the mound, his seven of the year, tossing two shutout innings and allowing just one hit; Austin Fine allowed three earned runs in six innings in the start, fanning six
HOW IT HAPPENED
THIRD INNING
- Lenoir-Rhyne started the scoring with Tyler McPeak's two-out, RBI single
FOURTH INNING
- An error allowed a run to score on Owen Blackledge's double
- Another RBI base hit for the Bears extended their lead to 3-0
- Two walks and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Catawba with two out in the bottom half
- Cole Hales drew the bases-loaded free pass to drive in a run and get the Catawba Indians on the board
FIFTH INNING
- Driver belted his fifth homer of the year to center field to pull within a single run in the fifth
SEVENTH INNING
- Two singles had runners on the corners for the Bears to start the seventh
- Sal Carricato recorded an RBI groundout before Blake Bean's RBI double made it a 5-2 lead
- A sac fly and an infield single padded the Bears' lead making it a 7-2 advantage with nine outs to go
- Hubbard led the bottom half with a double to right field
- Sam Hunter's single to deep left field loaded the bases with one out
- A wild pitch scored a run before Rusher's RBI groundout got Catawba back within three runs
EIGHTH INNING
- Hubbard walked and Levi Perrell's double with two outs had runners on second and third for Catawba in the eighth
- Driver's two-out double scored two more, as Catawba trailed just 7-6
NINTH INNING
- Rusher singled to lead off the ninth
- A wild pitch moved the tying base to second, but LR was able to get an out at third after the Catawba runner slid past the bag
- Rogers two-run shot to dead center field capped the dramatic comeback
UP NEXT
- Catawba advances to the winners' bracket in the SAC Tournament; they'll face Lincoln Memorial at 11 a.m. at Newman Park on Saturday
