#23 Baseball mashes six homers in series-opening win over Tusculum

Salisbury, N.C. —- The 23rd-ranked Catawba College baseball team doubled its previous season high with six home runs in the series-opening victory over Tusculum in South Atlantic Conference play at Newman Park Friday night to snap a three-game skid.

TEAM STATISTICS

- Catawba out-hit Tusculum 18-6

- The Catawba Indians recorded eight of nine extra-base hits and all six homers

- Both teams committed an error on the night

- The Pioneers left four runners on base; Catawba stranded six

- The Catawba Indians had both stolen bases in the game

- Catawba's starter allowed three earned runs on six hits, striking out five; TU's staff allowed 14 earned runs on 18 hits and two walks, striking out four

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Sam Hunter was 4-for-5 with a homer, three RBI, three runs scored and two stolen bases

- Cole Hales went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBI

- Ty Hubbard was a triple shy of the cycle with two RBI and two runs scored

- James Dunlap homered and scored three times

- Parker Styborski and Matthew Connolly provided the other homers in the contest

- Payne Stolsworth went the distance allowing three earned runs on six hits – with just an unearned run and three hits in the final six innings

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST INNING

- Tusculum's Omar Carreras ripped an RBI single through the left side to get the scoring started

- An RBI groundout made it a 2-0 Pioneer lead

- Max Schmarder's two-out RBI single put Tusculum up 3-0 early

SECOND INNING

- Hubbard singled to right field to lead off the second before Styborski sent a home run the other way to bring Catawba back within a run

THIRD INNING

- Dunlap hit a game-tying solo blast ot lead off the third

- Hunter's single allowed Hales no-doubt bomb to take the lead, 5-3

- Hunter Atkins' infield single preceded Hubbard's homer to center on a full count to chase the TU starter and push the advantage to 7-3

FOURTH INNING

- Hunter reached on a bunt single and stole second and third

- Atkins' two-out single to left center brought home Catawba's eighth run

FIFTH INNING

- Connolly lifted his fourth homer of the season to left field to lead off the fifth

- Driver skied a double off the left field wall to score a run, making it 10-3 Catawba

- Hales brought another runner home on an RBI base knock

- An error on a failed pickoff attempt brought home another runner, increasing the advantage to 12-3

SEVENTH INNING

- TU's Caleb Webster dropped an RBI base hit to left field, scoring the Pioneers' first run since the first inning

- Driver walked and Dunlap was hit by a pitch before Hunter's three-run blast ended the game via mercy rule

UP NEXT

- Catawba and Tusculum wrap up the series on Saturday, as Catawba looks to close out its 16th consecutive SAC series win; first pitch for game one is 1 p.m.