Salisbury, N.C. —- The 11th-ranked Catawba College baseball team allowed just two runs on five hits across 16 innings against South Atlantic Conference contender Carson-Newman to extend their league lead to two games, winning their 18th straight series in conference play.
GAME ONE | Catawba 4, Carson-Newman 0
TEAM STATISTICS
- Catawba out-hit Carson-Newman 7-2
- The Catawba Indians recorded three of four extra-base hits
- The Eagles committed the lone error in the game
- C-N left six runners on base; Catawba stranded seven
- The Catawba Indian pitchers threw nine shutout innings on two hits and five walks, striking out 10; Carson-Newman's staff four runs on seven hits and three walks, striking out two
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Casey Gouge earned the win, tossing six shutout frames with just two hits allowed, punching out five
- Seth Sharpe and Brandon Rodgers combined to throw three hitless innings to close the game, striking out five more Eagles
- Cole Hales was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored
- Nathan Chrismon added two hits including a double with an RBI and a run scored
- Matthew Connolly had an RBI triple; Sam Hunter doubled
HOW IT HAPPENED
FOURTH INNING
- Connolly drove a one-out triple off the center field wall to score the day's first two runs
FIFTH INNING
- James Dunlap walked and Hunter doubled down the left field line to put runners on second and third with one out
- Hales' RBI groundout pushed Catawba's lead to 3-0
EIGHTH INNING
- Hales singled to lead off the eighth and advanced to third on wild pitches
- Chrismon's RBI infield single gave Catawba an extra run of insurance
GAME TWO | Catawba 4, Carson-Newman 2
TEAM STATISTICS
- Catawba out-hit Carson-Newman 8-3
- The Eagles had the lone extra-base hit of the game – a homer
- Both teams committed an error in game two
- C-N left three runners on base; the Catawba Indians stranded five
- Catawba pitchers allowed two runs on three hits and a walk, striking out three; Carson-Newman's staff allowed three earned runs on eight hits and three walks, striking out four
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Austin Fine got the win in game two, allowing a run on just two hits in five innings, retiring the final 15 batters he faced
- Hayden Simmerson picked up his league-leading 11th save, allowing one solo homer with a strikeout
- Dylan Driver drove in a run on a single and scored
- Dunlap and Sam Hunter both recorded a pair of hits and an RBI
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST INNING
- Two singles and an error loaded the bases for Carson-Newman with nobody out in the first
- Cole Nathan brought home a run on an RBI sac fly
SECOND INNING
- Hunter Atkins walked and advanced to second on a throwing error by C-N's catcher
- Connolly drove home the tying run on a single through the left side
FIFTH INNING
- Driver dropped in a single to right center to drive home the go-ahead run in the fifth
- Dunlap did the same with an RBI single to nearly the same spot
- Hunter's RBI single through the right side pushed Catawba's lead to three
SEVENTH INNING
- Nathan cut the deficit to two with a solo homer in the seventh
UP NEXT
- Catawba returns to Newman Park on Tuesday, hosting Georgia College at 4 p.m.
