Asheboro, N.C.----A Malachi Cloud solo homer in the bottom of the ninth-inning gave top-seeded Catawba College a 6-5 victory over second-seeded Wingate University in game one of the best-of-three SAC baseball championship series Friday evening. The Indians improve to 42-9 overall, while the Bulldogs fall to 37-17 on the season.
KEY STATS
- Wingate out-hit Catawba 12-10
- The Indians had three of the five extra-base hits with three of the four homers
- The Bulldogs left 10 on base; Catawba stranded five
- The Indians had both stolen bases
- Wingate had the lone error in the contest
- WU pitching struck out 11 without a walk; Catawba struck out seven and walked four
KEY BULLDOGS
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Will Farrell was two-for-four with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored
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Reed Benamati added two hits and drove in two runs
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Tanner McCammon went three-for-five with a double and an RBI
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Neil Griffin added contributed two hits and scored two runs
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Bowen Powell added a pair of hits
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Jake Courville scored a run
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Chad Harvey struck out 10 in six innings, allowing five runs on eight hits
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Carson Starnes allowed a run in 2 1/3 innings of work
FIRST INNING
- Courville drew a one-out walk
- He scored on McCammon's RBI double to give the 'Dogs a 1-0 lead
- A three-run homer from Hunter Atkins put the Indians on top 3-1
SECOND INNING
- Griffin and Farrell started the inning with singles
- Benamati's two-out, two-run single tied it at three
FOURTH INNING
- A solo homer from Brandon Crabtree put Catawba back in front 4-3
SIXTH INNING
- Griffin reached on a two-out single in the sixth
- Farrell launched a two-run homer to left center, giving Wingate a 5-4 lead
- Atkins led off the bottom of the frame with an infield single
- He scored on a Nathan Chrismom sacrifice fly to tie it at five
NINTH INNING
- Singles from Courville and Powell, along with a walk loaded the bases for Wingate in the ninth
- Catawba got out of the jam with a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the ninth tied
- Cloud connected on a solo homer on a 1-2 pitch to give the Indians the 6-5 victory
WRAPUP
- Seth Sharpe got the win, tossing 3 1/3 shutout frames, striking out five while allowing three hits
- Starnes took the loss, allowing a run on two hits in 2 1/3 innings of work
UP NEXT
- The two teams are back in action Saturday in Asheboro
- Game one will begin at 12 p.m.
- If Catawba wins, the Indians claim the SAC title
- If the Bulldogs win, the teams will play one final game at 4 p.m. to decide the champion
