Boca Raton, Fla. — The 5th-ranked Catawba College baseball team took the lead in the late innings for the second day in a row for a dramatic win, this time behind the two-out, two-run double of Malachi Cloud to put the Catawba Indians on top and earn their third straight win in Florida to start the season.
TEAM STATISTICS
- Both teams recorded nine hits
- The Fighting Knights committed both errors in the game
- Catawba had both home runs in the game and five of seven extra-base hits
- Lynn's pitchers allowed five earned runs on nine hits and two walks with nine strikeouts; Catawba's staff allowed five runs on nine hits and five walks with 14 strikeouts
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Matthew Connolly homered, walked and scored three times
- Sean Shelly had a three-hit game with a double and a run scored
- Sam Hunter homered, Cloud hit the go-ahead double and Ty Hubbard notched a pair of base hits
- Casey Gouge struck out eight in a no-decision in his first start of the season
- Calvin Douglas pitched a scoreless inning and got the win; Joe Burleyson fanned three in a six-out save, leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth
HOW IT HAPPENED
SECOND INNING
- Connolly homered with one out in the second
THIRD INNING
- Lynn led off the third with a walk and a bunt single
- Two wild pitches allowed the Fighting Knights to score
FIFTH INNING
- Connolly and Shelly walked and singled, respectively, to lead off the fifth
- Parker Styborski's RBI fielder's choice broke the lead
- A two-out error with the bases loaded scored two runs to give the Catawba Indians a 4-1 lead
SEVENTH INNING
- Hunter's two-out solo homer added to Catawba's lead, 5-1
- Lynn hit three straight singles to lead off the bottom half
- A three-run triple brought the hosts to within a run
- A sacrifice fly tied the game at 5
EIGHTH INNING
- Shelly's two-out double put runners on second and third for Catawba
- Cloud came through with a clutch two-out, two-run double to give Catawba the late lead
NINTH INNING
- A walk, a single and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Lynn in the ninth with two outs
- Burleyson struck out the final batter, leaving the winning run at first base and finish off the six-out save
UP NEXT
- Catawba closes out the opening weekend of the season tomorrow when it travels to Miami Shores to take on Barry at 1:30 p.m.
