Newberry, S.C. — The 5th-ranked Catawba College baseball team closed out the 2026 South Atlantic Conference Baseball regular season championship on Saturday by finishing a road sweep of Newberry. The Catawba Indians claimed their third straight SAC regular season title and the program's 15th since 2003.
GAME ONE | Catawba 5, Newberry 3
TEAM STATISTICS
- Newberry out-hit Catawba 9-8
- The Catawba Indians had the lone homer and two of three extra-base hits
- Catawba committed the two errors in the game
- The Catawba Indians left 10 runners on base; the Wolves stranded 15
- Both teams recorded a stolen base
- Catawba's pitchers allowed three runs on nine hits and eight walks, striking out nine; Newberry's staff allowed five runs on eight hits and six walks, striking out six
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Seth Sharpe got the win on the mound, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and three strikeouts
- Joe Burleyson picked up his league-leading 10th save of the year with a scoreless ninth
- Brandon Crabtree hit the go-ahead two-run homer in the ninth
- Ty Hubbard was 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST INNING
- Hubbard's two-out RBI single to center field scored the game's first run
FIFTH INNING
- Two singles and a stolen base put two runners in scoring position with nobody out
- An RBI safety squeeze and an RBI single gave the Wolves a 2-1 lead
- The Wolves' Finn McLaughlin followed up with another single to lead 3-1
SEVENTH INNING
- The first two Catawba Indians reached base in the seventh on a hit-by-pitch and a single
- Jake Dunlap's RBI single cut Catawba's deficit to a single run
- Hubbard followed with an RBI groundout to tie the game at 3
NINTH INNING
- Dyer led the ninth inning with a leadoff walk
- Crabtree launched a go-ahead, two-run home run to right field to drive in the deciding two runs
GAME TWO | Catawba 6, Newberry 2
TEAM STATISTICS
- Catawba out-hit Newberry 11-6
- The Catawba Indians recorded the lone extra-base hit of the game
- The Wolves committed the two errors in the contest
- Catawba left seven runners on base; Newberry stranded 12
- The Catawba Indian pitchers allowed two runs on six hits and eight walks, striking out three; the Wolves' staff allowed five earned runs on 11 hits and three walks, striking out two
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Casey Gouge earned the win to improve to 7-0 on the season with five innings pitched with one run allowed on just three hits
- Calvin Douglas and Burleyson combined for 1.2 shutout innings to close the game
- Crabtree was 2-for-5 with 4 with a double and five RBI
- Cameron Burleyson went 2-for-2 with two runs scored
HOW IT HAPPENED
SECOND INNING
- Hubbard led off the second with a single
- He scored on Jack Cuba's RBI single for the first score of game two
FIFTH INNING
- A single, an error and a tagup put runners on second and third for Catawba in the fifth
- Crabtree pushed the lead to 3-0 on a two-run single through the right side
SIXTH INNING
- Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Newberry in the sixth inning
- A bases-loaded walk and a hit-by-pitch cut Catawba's lead to 3-2
SEVENTH INNING
- Burleyson led off the seventh with a single before a walk and hit-by-pitch loaded the bases
- Crabtree cleared the bases with a three-run double to extend the lead to 6-2 and add much-needed insurance
UP NEXT
- Catawba returns to non-conference action for the final time this regular season when it travels to UNC Pembroke on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
