KODAK, Tenn. – Catawba's Jeremy Simpson provided the only scoring with a two-run home run in the third inning as Newberry fell 2-0 in a winner's bracket contest at the 2019 Pilot/Flying J South Atlantic Conference Baseball Championship.
The loss forces Newberry (40-13) into an elimination game tonight at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of today's 3:45 p.m. contest between Wingate and Lincoln Memorial. Should the Wolves prevail in that game, they would have to defeat the Catawba Indians (41-12) twice on Monday to win the tournament championship.
Simpson's home run came with two outs in the third, two pitches after Heath Mitchem reached on a single to right field. The Catawba shortstop lifted a 1-0 offering just over the fence into the deck area beyond left center field. The long ball spoiled an impressive outing from Fessler, who pitched into the eighth inning and gave up eight hits, struck out four Catawba hitters, and issued a pair of walks.
The shutout was Newberry's first since a loss to Lincoln Memorial at the 2017 SAC Baseball Championship, a span of 101 games. It also marked the first time this season that the Indians defeated Newberry after the Wolves swept the teams' three-game series at the Smith Road Complex two weeks ago and dropped Newberry to 12-2 in its "Sweep Hats" this season.
Five Wolves finished the game with one hit apiece.
Danton Hyman's eighth-inning single to right field extended his hitting streak to 12 games and gave him 88 on the season, tying him with Albert Baur (2015) for the single-season school record. He also reached base successfully, which the NCAA defines as reaching via a hit, walk, or being plunked by a pitch, for the 59th time in the last 60 games dating back to April 2018.
Hyman's hit started an attempted rally with one out in the top of the eighth.
Zane Tarrance singled to shallow left field one pitch later, but a strikeout and a flyout just in front of the warning track in the left center field gap ended the inning.
Newberry did not have a baserunner until the third inning but placed two in scoring position with two outs before a groundout stranded both. The Wolves also left a pair in scoring position in the fifth and stranded a runner at third in the sixth.
Hunter Shepherd earned the win with 5.1 innings on the mound, giving up three hits with five strikeouts. Riley Myers pitched the next 2.2 innings, allowing the two eighth-inning hits, before Peyton Williams worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his second save of the season.
