Salisbury, N.C. —- The 4th-ranked and top-seeded Catawba College baseball team advanced to the South Atlantic Conference Championship Series for the first time under the new format with an 8-3 win over fourth-seeded Limestone to sweep through the Opening Round in three games at Newman Park on Sunday night.

TEAM STATISTICS

- Catawba out-hit Limestone 12-7

- The Catawba Indians recorded seven of eight extra-base hits and the lone homer

- The Saints committed the only error of the night

- Limestone left six runners on base; Catawba stranded nine

- The Saints had the only stolen base in the game

- The Catawba Indian pitchers allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out seven; Limestone's staff allowed six earned runs on 12 hits and six walks, striking out seven

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Cole Hales was a homer shy of the cycle, racking up three hits with an RBI and three runs scored

- Cooper Bryson homered in two hits, driving in two and scoring three runs

- Nathan Chrismon capped a solid weekend with two more hits and two RBI

- Austin Fine earned the win allowing three runs in a single frame in his six-inning outing, striking out three

- Brandon Rodgers and Hayden Simmerson combined to throw four shutout innings to close it out; Simmerson struck out four in six up, six down

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST INNING

- Dylan Driver singled to lead off the bottom of the first

- Hales sent a two-out double off the wall in right center to score the runner from first

- Bryson launched his first homer of the season off the top of the wall in right field to push the lead to 3-0

SECOND INNING

- Two two-out walks set up an RBI base hit by Limestone's Winston Parke in the second inning

- Parke stole second to put runners on second and third, who were both drove in on Corey Hodierne's single to shallow center to tie the game at 3

THIRD INNING

- Hales tripled off the right field wall to lead off the third

- Chrismon's RBI sac fly scored him from third to retake the lead

- Ty Hubbard's two-out RBI double extended the lead to 5-3

FOURTH INNING

- Hales' third hit of the game put runners on the corners with one out

- Chrismon's two-out single up the middle added Catawba's third unanswered run, leading 6-3

SIXTH INNING

- Catawba put runners on second and third with two out in the sixth; a rocket that was misplayed by the Limestone defense scored two more runs for the final scores of the night

UP NEXT

- Catawba advances to the SAC Championship Series at McCrary Park in Asheboro, N.C.; game one on Friday is set for 4 p.m.