Salisbury, N.C. — The 6th-ranked Catawba College baseball team completed a sweep of UVA Wise at Newman Park on Saturday, taking sole possession of first place in the South Atlantic Conference along with it. The Catawba Indians earned their 24th consecutive SAC series win.
GAME ONE | Catawba 9, UVA Wise 2
TEAM STATISTICS
- Catawba out-hit UVA Wise 13-12
- The Catawba Indians had the lone homer and six of seven extra-base hits
- The Cavaliers committed both errors in the contest
- Catawba had two of three stolen bases in the game
- The Catawba Indian pitchers allowed two runs on 12 hits and seven walks, striking out seven; Wise's staff allowed six earned runs on 13 hits and five walks, striking out six
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Brandon Crabtree was 5-for-5 with a homer and two doubles, driving in two runs and scoring two more
- Nathan Chrismon went 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored
- Sam Hunter tripled, drove in a run and scored; Malachi Cloud drove in two on a single
- Seth Sharpe got the win with 3.1 innings in relief, striking out four
- Braeden Major got the 12-out save, tossing the final four frames without allowing a run
HOW IT HAPPENED
THIRD INNING
- Crabtree got the scoring started with a solo homer to right-center
- A two-out error allowed the inning to continue – Ty Hubbard drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in Catawba's second run of the inning
- Cloud's opposite-field base hit drove in two more to take a 4-0 lead
FOURTH INNING
- A bloop double allowed Morgan Miller to drive in a run on a single for UVA Wise's first run of the game
- Crabtree doubled to start the fourth followed by Hunter's RBI triple to take a 5-1 lead
- Hunter scored on a wild pitch to take a 6-1 lead after five
FIFTH INNING
- Chrismon doubled off the wall to lead off the fifth
- He stole second and scored on a throwing error to lead 7-1
- Crabtree scored another on a double to right field, up 8-1
SIXTH INNING
- A single and two walks loaded the bases for UVA Wise in the sixth
- The Cavaliers got a run on a sac fly, but Major limited the damage to that, inducing an inning-ended double play – one of five for Catawba in the ballgame
EIGHTH INNING
- Chrismon's two-out double tacked on one more run for the Catawba Indians in the eighth
GAME TWO | Catawba 3, UVA Wise 1
TEAM STATISTICS
- Both teams recorded six hits
- The Catawba Indians had the lone homer and four of five extra-base hits
- Catawba had the only stolen base in the contest
- The Catawba Indian pitchers allowed a run on six hits and four walks, striking out six; UVA Wise's staff allowed three runs on six hits and seven walks, striking out two
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Casey Gouge got the win on the mound, allowing a single run on five hits, striking out four
- Joe Burleyson picked up the seven-out save, getting the Catawba Indians out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth
- Cameron Burleyson was 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI and a run scored
- Chrismon homered
HOW IT HAPPENED
SECOND INNING
- Chrismon scored the game's first run on a solo homer to left field
FOURTH INNING
- Dane Frellick's two-out RBI single tied the game at 1 in the fourth
- Burleyson got a ball behind the defense in the fourth, reaching second for a double
- Logan Dyer traded him places with an RBI double to left-center, putting Catawba back on top
FIFTH INNING
- Two walks with two outs started a rally in the fifth
- Cameron Burleyson singled through the left side to score a key insurance run
UP NEXT
- Catawba returns to Newman Park on Tuesday, facing UNC Pembroke at 3 p.m., an amended first pitch time due to cold temperatures
