KODAK, TENN. – The 2022 South Atlantic Conference Tournament did not start off the way the No. 15 Newberry College baseball team would have liked it to as they dropped an 11-4 decision to the Catawba Indians in their opening contest of the tournament.
Sophomore Henry Gibson (Walterboro, S.C.) was able to drive in a pair of runs on the day as he went 2-for-4 at the plate. Junior Braylin Marine (Freeport, N.Y.), who was officially presented his Player of the Year award after the contest, was able to record three hits in the contest and add an RBI as well. Senior Ian Clements (Upper Marlboro, Md.) drove in the other run for the Wolves.
The Wolves struggled on the mound in the early goings but were able to get a good showing in relief by sophomore Rylan Brown (Spartanburg, S.C.) who threw three and two-thirds innings of scoreless baseball while fanning four batters along the way.
After holding the Indians scoreless in the opening half of the first inning, the Wolves were able to work around the bags once in the bottom half to take the early 1-0 lead. Sophomore Jacob Lebron (Lexington, S.C.) drew an opening walk and would find himself at third base through a stolen base and a defensive miscue. That's when Marine would record his lone RBI of the day as he sent a single barreling through the middle of the infield to plate the run.
However, it would be Catawba that would respond in the top of the second as they notched seven runs in the inning, including a grand slam that put the score at 7-1. Clements was able to record his RBI in the bottom half of the third inning, but that would bring that scoring change to a close with the margin still at five runs.
Catawba added a solo shot in the top of the fifth and would add three more in the top of the sixth to extend their lead to 11-3. It would take till the bottom of the eighth inning for the Wolves to get on the board again as Gibson would drive a single up the middle and plate another run but that's all they would be able to muster as they dropped the contest by a 11-4 final score.
The Wolves will now head to a streak of elimination games to continue in the tournament, starting with a 11:00 a.m. showdown with the Eagles of Carson-Newman on Saturday, April 30.
