Catawba, Tusculum, LMU Win On First Day Of Food Lion SAC Baseball Tournament
FOREST CITY, N.C. - Third-seeded Catawba pounded out 13 hits en route to a 12-5 victory over fourth-seeded Carson-Newman on Thursday in the first round of the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament at McNair Field.
With the win, No. 24 Catawba (35-9) advances to the quarterfinals and will face fifth-seeded Tusculum on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in a rematch of last year's SAC Tournament final. The Eagles (29-16) will play sixth-seeded Lincoln Memorial at 3:45 p.m. on Friday.
Craige Lyerly (Salisbury, N.C.) tallied two triples to lead the Indians, while Garrett Furr (Gold Hill, N.C.), Josh Hohn (Greensboro, N.C.) and Corey Parker (Kernersville, N.C.) produced two hits apiece. Both Lyerly and Hohn drove in two runs each, while John Neese (Summerfield, N.C.) contributed a two-run home run.
Carson-Newman collected six hits on the night. Wesley Dozier (Cornelius, N.C.) went 3-for-4, including a double and a two-run home run, and drove in four runs to lead the Eagles.
Catawba starting pitcher Trevor Mullins (Jamestown, N.C.) earned the win. Mullins (8-2) gave up three runs and four hits and fanned six in six innings of work.
Indian's reliever Wil Huneycutt (Locust, N.C.) tossed a perfect 1 1/3 innings to earn his third save of the season.
Eagles starting hurler Austin Bridgewater (Morristown, Tenn.) fell to 5-1 on the season after surrendering four runs and three hits in two innings on the mound.
Catawba built a 2-0 lead in the second. After the Indians loaded the bases, Brett Underwood (Greensboro, N.C.) drew a walk to bring home Furr. Parker then delivered a run-scoring single to give Catawba a two-run advantage.
The Indians tallied three more runs in the third. Lyerly produced a RBI triple as he reached base for the 80th straight game. Furr drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Underwood added a RBI single to give Catawba a 5-0 cushion.
The Eagles pulled to within 5-1 in the fourth, as Derek Long (Jefferson City, Tenn.) ripped a double off the left field wall for C-N's first hit and later scored on a Dozier double to left.
Wade Moore (Salisbury, N.C.) gave the Bulldogs a 6-1 lead in the sixth with a RBI single to center field, scoring Parker.
C-N then cut Wingate's lead in half in the seventh, as Dozier launched a two-run blast to left field, but a Hohn single in the home half of the seventh drove home Neese to put the Bulldogs ahead, 7-3.
Dozier and Morgan Gregory (Nashville, Tenn.) each produced RBI singles in the eight to trim Catawba's lead to 7-5.
However, the Indians erupted for five runs in the home half of the eighth to put the game out of reach. Ryan Bostian (Kannapolis, N.C.) came through with a run-scoring single in the inning, while Lyerly had a RBI triple and Neese crushed a two-run home run to center field. Hohn also produced a RBI double in the inning.
"Mullins had a good start, but they forced him to throw a lot of pitches, so we had to go to the bullpen a little earlier," said Catawba Head Coach Jim Gantt. "Huneycutt came in and closed it down for us, but the five-run eighth inning was the key. We needed that big inning late to be able to hang on. It's never easy against Carson-Newman because they battle to the end."
No. 5 Tusculum 3, No. 2 Mars Hill 1
FOREST CITY, N.C. - Fifth-seeded Tusculum built a three-run lead and held off second-seeded Mars Hill to claim a 3-1 victory on Thursday in the first round of the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament at McNair Field.
With the win, Tusculum (30-16) advances to the quarterfinals and will face the winner of No. 3 Catawba and No. 4 Carson-Newman on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Mars Hill (28-16) will play top-seeded Wingate on Friday at noon. The Bulldogs fell to sixth-seeded Lincoln Memorial, 10-9, on Thursday.
The Pioneers took a 1-0 lead in the first on a RBI single by Sean Finucane (Cortland, N.Y.) and added a two-run blast by Paul Finger (Lincolnton, N.C.) in the sixth to build a 3-0 cushion.
However, Mars Hill made one last push in the ninth, as Patrick Davidson (Swannanoa, N.C.) produced a run-scoring single to trim Tusculum's lead to 3-1. The Lions proceeded to get the tying run on base, but Pioneer starting pitcher Tyler Collins (Snellville, Ga.) was able to get Mars Hill to ground into a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.
Collins (6-1) worked all nine innings, allowed eight hits and one run and fanned six to earn the win.
Mars Hill starter Greg Smith (Murrells Inlet, S.C.) was tagged with the loss after surrendering two earned runs and nine hits in 8 1/3 innings on the mound. Smith (5-4) struck out eight on the day.
Tusculum collected nine hits for the game, including a 4-for-4 effort from Finucane. Payden Houser (Lincolnton, N.C.) added two hits in the win.
Mars Hill tallied eight hits, as Davidson led the way by going 2-for-3.
No. 6 Lincoln Memorial 10, No. 1 Wingate 9
FOREST CITY, N.C. - Sixth-seeded Lincoln Memorial tallied a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning to take the lead and held on for a 10-9 victory over top-seeded Wingate on Thursday afternoon in the first round of the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament at McNair Field.
With the win, Lincoln Memorial (25-22) advances to the quarterfinals and will take on the loser of the matchup between No. 3 Catawba and No. 4 Carson-Newman on Friday at 3:45. Wingate (29-18) drops into the loser's bracket and will play the loser of No. 2 Mars Hill and No. 5 Tusculum on Friday at noon.
Wingate's Nick Siega-Riz (Clemmons, N.C.) crushed a solo blast to right field in the seventh to give the Bulldogs a 9-8 advantage, but Lincoln Memorial responded to take the lead for good in the eighth, as Garrett Copeland (Knoxville, Tenn.) drove in a run on a fielder's choice and Ben Adleburg (Madisonville, Fla.) delivered a RBI single.
Railsplitters reliever Chase Quarles (Rogersville, Tenn.) then allowed just one hit and fanned four over the final two innings to seal the win and pick up his first save of the season.
Lincoln Memorial collected 14 hits on the day, including three from Cody Baker (Knoxville, Tenn.). Copeland, Adleburg and John Couch (Bonnyman, Ky.) all homered for the Railsplitters and finished with two hits each. Copeland and Couch also drove in three RBIs apiece.
Wingate pounded out 13 hits. Logan Isaacs (Raleigh, N.C.) and Tres Ramirez (Ocala, Fla.) tallied three hits each to lead the way, while Dodson McPherson (Graham, N.C.) and Siega-Riz had two each. Taylor Honeycutt (Indian Trail, N.C.) added a two-run home run in the loss.
Lincoln Memorial's Ray Burchell (Corryton, Tenn.) worked 1 1/3 innings to earn the win. Burchell (1-1) surrendered one run and three hits and had three strikeouts.
Wingate reliever Lee Oxendine (Laurinburg, N.C.) was tagged with the loss. Oxendine (3-3) allowed two earned runs and two hits and walked four in one inning on the mound.
Wingate grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, as Casey Allison (Horse Shoe, N.C.) produced a two-out single to get things started and later scored on a Ramirez single to right center.
But the Railsplitters answered with a three-run outburst in the second. Adleburg led off the inning with a solo blast to left field. Nick Langley (Blaine, Tenn.) then drew a walk, and Couch followed by delivering a two-run home run to left field to give Lincoln Memorial a 3-1 lead.
Copeland pushed the Railsplitters' lead to 4-1 in the third as
he launched a solo home run to right field.
The Bulldogs rallied to take the lead in the fifth by erupting for four runs, highlighted by a two-run home run by Honeycutt and a two-run single by McPherson.
Lincoln Memorial responded in the sixth to tie the game. Copeland led off the inning with a single and later scored on a Couch single up the middle.
Wingate regained the lead in the home half of the six, as a RBI double by Chris Vazquez (Tyrone, Ga.) and a pair of run-scoring single by Isaacs and McPherson gave the Bulldogs an 8-5 advantage.
The Railsplitters tallied three runs in the seventh to tie the game. Joseph Horsely (Corryton, Tenn.) scored on a Bulldog error, and Langley drove in a pair of runs with a single up the middle.
Wingate regained the lead in the seventh on Siega-Riz's home run before the Railsplitters pushed across a pair of runs in the eighth for the win.
"It was a good win. In this tournament, I really feel like any of the six teams has a good shot at winning it. It was good to come out and win the first one," said Lincoln Memorial Head Coach Jeff Sziksai. "We just battle and have done that all year. I was glad to see that again today. (Ray Burchell) came out and did a nice job, and then Chase (Quarles) really came in and was just lights out for us. He did a great job and battled them."