Wise, Va. —- The 19th-ranked Catawba College baseball team utilized timely hitting and stellar late-game pitching to defeat UVA Wise in the rubber match on Saturday, claiming a program-record 14th straight series win in South Atlantic Conference play.
TEAM STATISTICS
- Catawba out-hit UVA Wise 9-7
- The Catawba Indians recorded three of four extra-base hits and the lone homer
- Catawba committed the lone error in the contest
- The Catawba Indians left four runners on base; the Cavaliers stranded eight
- Catawba pitchers allowed three earned runs on nine hits and three walks, striking out six; Wise's staff allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks, striking out 11
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Joe Burleyson got the win on the mound in a scoreless inning of work; Hayden Simmerson earned the 12-out save, allowing just one hit and on walk with four strikeouts
- James Dunlap was 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored from the leadoff spot
- Dylan Driver delivered a key three-run home run
HOW IT HAPPENED
SECOND INNING
- A walk loaded the bases for Catawba with two outs in the second
- Dunlap came through with a two-out, two-RBI single through the left side to put Catawba on the board
- Driver followed with a three-run homer to left field to break the game open, leading 5-0
- UVA Wise got a run back in the bottom half on a throwing error
FOURTH INNING
- The Cavaliers scored again on an RBI fielder's choice in the fourth, cutting their deficit to 5-2
FIFTH INNING
- Hunter Atkins pulled through with a pinch-hit RBI single with two outs in the fifth to give Catawba some added insurance, leading 6-2
- An RBI single and a sac fly scored two more runs for the Cavs, but it's the last they would score as Simmerson kept the Wise bats quiet through the final four frames
UP NEXT
- Catawba returns to Newman Park for four games next week, starting with a top-20 regional clash on Tuesday with 8th-ranked Mount Olive; first pitch is set for 3 p.m.
