SALISBURY, N.C. – Catawba took the lead on Newberry in the bottom of the second inning and never looked back in an 18-12 win to open a South Atlantic Conference weekend series at Newman Park.
Nine pitchers combined to throw 343 pitches as the teams pounded out 35 hits in the contest, with Catawba (20-18, 14-5 SAC) holding an 18-17 edge in the hits column. Batters went down in order in an inning just three times. The win, coupled with Wingate's 7-3 loss at Anderson, gave Catawba sole possession of first place in the SAC, while Newberry (20-16, 11-8 SAC) moved into a three-way tie for third with Carson-Newman and Tusculum.
The teams traded the lead three times in a wild first two innings that saw 37 combined plate appearances, 20 runs scored, 14 base hits, and 12 outs recorded, and lasted over an hour and 10 minutes. Catawba led 12-8 after the sequence, after which the Wolves were unable to cut the deficit to less than three runs.
Tyler White had a career day at the plate for the Wolves, compiling a career high in hits with a 4-for-5 performance that included three doubles, two RBI, and a pair of runs scored.
Danton Hyman had a 3-for-4 day at the plate with an RBI and two runs scored, raising his conference-leading batting average to .421 after going .538 (21-for-39) with 14 runs scored, 10 RBI, and a .625 on-base percentage over his last 10 games. He has multiple hits in seven games in a row and is currently on a 12-game hitting streak.
Dalton Lansdowne extended his hitting streak to a career-best nine games with a double and a run scored in the second inning.
UPDATE (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.): A scoring decision was changed from an error to a hit on Hyman's at-bat in the top of the third inning, making him 4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. The decision changed his batting average to .429 overall and makes him .564 (22-for-39) with 14 runs scored, 11 RBI, and a .646 on-base percentage over his last 10 games.
The Wolves sent nine men to the plate in a five-run first inning, getting a bases-loaded walk before White and
Chase Barbary drove in two runs apiece with a double and a single in the span of three pitches.
Catawba, however, roared back with a seven-run first inning that included two home runs and forced the Wolves to go to the bullpen before the inning was done.
In the top of the second, a leadoff walk prompted the Catawba Indians' first call to the bullpen before Lansdowne's first-pitch double and
Derek Olenchuk's fourth home run of the season put the Wolves ahead again. A five-run second vaulted Catawba into the lead for good, with the Indians picking up insurance runs in the fourth, fifth, and seventh innings.
Colin Allman led off the seventh inning with his team-leading seventh home run of the season. Catawba finished the game with six home runs, helping the teams to combine for 17 extra-base hits. Every starting position player finished the game with at least one hit.
With heavy rain in the forecast for tomorrow, the teams are scheduled to complete their season series with a doubleheader beginning Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
