Salisbury, N.C. — The Catawba College softball team bounced back from a tough loss in its opening game of a doubleheader with Mars Hill to take game two, 9-2, in South Atlantic Conference play at Whitley Field on Tuesday afternoon.
GAME ONE | Mars Hill 11, Catawba 6
TEAM STATISTICS
- Mars Hill out-hit Catawba 11-10
- Both teams hit a homer; the Catawba Indians had three of five extra-base hits
- The Lions committed the three errors in game one
- Catawba left five runners on base; MHU stranded seven
- Both teams recorded two stolen bases
- Mars Hill's pitchers allowed four earned runs on 10 hits and one walk, striking out nine; Catawba's staff allowed 11 runs on 11 hits and seven walks, striking out four
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Abbey Nixon homered and drove home two
- Jordan McCorkle was 2-for-4 with a run scored
- Dakotah Wilkins added two hits with a triple and an RBI
- Alexis Monroe doubled
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST INNING
- Grace Flynn singled to lead off the bottom of the first
- A throwing error on a sac bunt allowed Flynn to score from first
SECOND INNING
- Micaela Hartman singled to lead off the second and advanced to second on a wild pitch
- Wilkins' two-out single drove in Catawba's second run
THIRD INNING
- A two-out single scored Mars Hill's first run of the game on the third
FOURTH INNING
- Nixon's two-out, two-run homer pushed Catawba's lead to 4-1
FIFTH INNING
- Maddy Altiers' towering single to no-man's land in short right-center helped Brianna Gallagher scored all the way from first to bump the lead to 5-1
- A double steal made it 6-1 Catawba after five innings
SIXTH INNING
- Leah Grimes' RBI double pulled MHU within four
SEVENTH INNING
- Three singles loaded the bases for Mars Hill with one out
- An infield single cut Catawba's lead to 6-3
- The Lions drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 6-4
- Grimes hit a grand slam to take an 8-6 lead
- A pair of walks, an RBI single, a double steal and an RBI groundout pulled MHU ahead 11-6 in a nine-run seventh inning
GAME TWO | Catawba 9, Mars Hill 2
TEAM STATISTICS
- Catawba out-hit Mars Hill 10-6
- The Catawba Indians had two of three homers and four of five extra-base hits
- Catawba committed both errors in game two
- Both teams left nine runners on base
- Catawba pitchers allowed two runs on six hits and three walks, striking out one; Mars Hill's staff allowed nine runs on 10 hits and seven walks, striking out two
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Dakotah Wilkins earned her fifth win of the year in the circle, allowing two runs in five innings
- Macie Crutchfield tossed two scoreless frames to close the game
- Micaela Hartman was 3-for-4 with a homer, a double and two runs scored
- Altiers also homered with two RBI
- Alexis Monroe drove home two and scored; Bella Boykin had two hits and drove in two
HOW IT HAPPENED
SECOND INNING
- Hartman started the scoring with a solo homer to lead off the second
- Flynn's walk loaded up the bases later in the inning
- Monroe's sac fly put Catawba ahead 2-0
FOURTH INNING
- Grimes' two-run homer tied the game at two
- With two outs in the bottom half, Flynn walked and stole second
- Monroe's two-out base knock gave Catawba a 3-2 lead
FIFTH INNING
- Wilkins' walk loaded the bases again in the fifth
- Nixon's sac fly added to Catawba's advantage
- Boykin drove home two on a two-out single up the middle to go up 6-2
SIXTH INNING
- Altiers blasted a two-run homer to go up 8-2
- Nixon added another sac fly for the final score
UP NEXT
- Catawba hits the road in league play this weekend, traveling to Tusculum for a doubleheader on Friday starting at 2 p.m.
