Salisbury, N.C.----The Catawba College Indians erased an early 4-0 deficit Sunday afternoon, prevailing 12-6 against visiting Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference baseball action. Catawba improves to 19-7 overall and 10-2 in the SAC, while the Bulldogs fall to 13-15 overall and 4-5 in league play.
Zach Almond was three-for-five with two homers and six RBI to lead the Catawba offense.
Ben Bomberger went three-for-five with two RBI and two runs scored, while
Malachi Hanes added a homer and three runs scored for the Indians.
Jeremy Simpson contributed a hit, RBI and two runs scored.
Sophomores
Zach Little (Troutman, N.C.) and
Austin Turgeon (Athens, Ga.) each had two hits, an RBI an RBI and a run scored to lead the Wingate attack. Freshman
Joseph Mason (Morehead City, N.C.) and sophomore
Micah Goodwin (Rougemont, N.C.) added an RBI and run scored each, while sophomore
Andrew Llewellyn (Moseley, Va.) and senior
Colby Barnette (Monroe, N.C.) each had two hits and an RBI for the Bulldogs.
Wingate jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third, starting when Goodwin got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Llewellyn followed with an RBI single, while a Barnette sacrifice fly and Turgeon RBI single gave Wingate a four-run lead.
Almond got Catawba within a run in the bottom of the frame, connecting on a three-run homer. The Indians scored five times in the fourth to make it 8-4. Bomberger's RBI double put the Indians on top, while Almond's two-run homer gave Catawba a four-run lead.
A Bomberger RBI double in the fifth made it 9-4, while an RBI single from Almond made it a six-run game.
Little's RBI single in the eighth, along with a sacrifice fly from Mason made it 11-6. Hanes contributed a solo homer in the bottom of the frame to make the final margin 12-6.
Clay Young got the win, moving to 1-0. He tossed 3 1/3 shutout innings, striking out four while allowing four hits. Junior right-hander
Hunter Morgan (Summerfield, N.C.) took the loss, falling to 3-4. He allowed eight runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking one.
Wingate is back in action Tuesday, traveling to UNC Pembroke for a 6 p.m. start.