Salisbury, N.C. —- The seventh-ranked and second-seeded Catawba College baseball team won its fifth NCAA Southeast Region title with a 6-3 win over 18th-ranked and fifth-seed Francis Marion on Saturday at Newman Park to advance to the NCAA Division II Baseball National Championships in Cary, N.C.
TEAM STATISTICS
- Catawba out-hit Francis Marion 7-6
- The Catawba Indians had the lone homer and two of three extra-base hits
- Catawba committed the lone error of the game
- The Catawba Indians left five runners on base; FMU stranded 10
- The Patriots recorded two of three steals in the game
- Catawba's pitchers allowed three runs on six hits and four walks, striking out 10; FMU's staff allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks, striking out four
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Kemper Nix got the win, allowing one run on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts across five innings
- Joe Burleyson made the eight-out save, allowing one hit with two strikeouts
- Jake Dunlap was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored
- Nathan Chrismon hit a big three-run homer in the first
- Hunter Atkins picked up two hits with an RBI
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST INNING
- Logan Dyer's leadoff single was followed by a walk and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases with no outs for Catawba in the first
- Dunlap laced a two-run single to center field to get Catawba's first two runs on the board
- Chrismon smacked a three-run homer to left field to open up a 5-0 lead in the first frame
THIRD INNING
- With runners on the corners, Francis Marion executed a double steal to scratch across its first run
SEVENTH INNING
- A walk, a hit-by pitch and a balk moved two runners in scoring position for Francis Marion with nobody out in the seventh
- Two RBI groundouts cut Catawba's lead to 5-3
- Malachi Cloud sent a double the opposite way to lead off the bottom half
- Atkins poked a single up the middle and the play at second was not able to be made to add an insurance run for Catawba
NINTH INNING
- A two-out single put FMU's first runner aboard in the ninth
- An errant throw to second extended the game
- Ethan McAnally walked to load the bases and bring the go-ahead run to the plate
- Burleyson forced a foul-out to the first base side to clinch the region championships
GAME NOTES
- Catawba's fifth region title, all coming since 2012
- The Catawba Indians advance to Cary for the second time in three years; third trip in the last seven National Championships
- Catawba has hosted the last three Southeast Super Regionals
- The win ties the team record for most in program history (47 - '06, '15, '19)
UP NEXT
- Catawba learns its path in Cary when the NCAA re-seeds the National Championship site in the coming days
