#21 Baseball picks up key region win over PBC champ Lander in regular season finale

Salisbury, N.C. —-- The 21st-ranked and South Atlantic Conference champion Catawba College baseball team earned a key in-region victory over Peach Belt Conference regular season champion Lander in the regular season finale at Newman Park on Tuesday night, improving the team to a nation-best 26-1 mark at home this season.

TEAM STATISTICS

- Catawba out-hit Lander 10-6

- The Catawba Indians recorded three of four extra-base hits

- The Bearcats committed both errors in the contest

- The teams combined to get caught stolen five times

- Catawba's pitchers allowed one run on six hits and four walks, striking out 12; Lander's staff allowed 10 earned runs on 10 hits and nine walks, striking out five

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Mason Gwyn got the win, providing 3.1 shutout relief innings allowing just one hit with four strikeouts

- Casey Gouge allowed one earned run in 3.2 innings in the start; Carson Edmiston, Brandon Rodgers and Trace Aufderhar combined for two shutout innings of relief

- Drew Robertson was 3-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and three runs scored

- Logan Rogers went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, two RBI and three runs scored

- Sam Hunter added multiple hits, including a double with an RBI and a run scored

HOW IT HAPPENED

SECOND INNING

- Robertson led off with a bunt single and advanced to second on a passed ball

- Cole Hales' sac fly scored Robertson to start the scoring

- Ty Hubbard followed up with an RBI single through the right side to take a 2-0 lead

THIRD INNING

- Ethan Wilder got Lander on the board with an RBI double in the top of the third

FOURTH INNING

- Robertson led off the fourth with a triple to right

- Rogers' double off the left field wall scored him

- Hales drove an RBI single up the middle to score Rogers and take a 4-1 advantage

SEVENTH INNING

- The Catawba Indians drew three straight walks to load the bases with no outs in the seventh

- Hunter's RBI single to right field scored a run and moved everyone up 90 feet

- Bo Rusher's walk, Robertson's fielder's choice and Rogers' single all scored runs, as Catawba took an 8-1 lead

- Hubbard and Levi Perrell drew bases-loaded walks later in the frame to cap the 6-spot in the inning, comfortably leading 10-1

UP NEXT

- Catawba opens up South Atlantic Conference Tournament action at Newman Park on Friday night, hosting 8th-seed Lenoir-Rhyne at 6:30 p.m.