Baseball scores six straight in comeback win at Wingate

Wingate, N.C. —- The Catawba College baseball team scored six consecutive runs for a come-from-behind 6-3 win at Wingate on Friday night to improve their league-best South Atlantic Conference record to 9-1. The Catawba Indians improve to 19-11 on the season and 9-1 in the SAC, while the Bulldogs drop to 18-11 and 8-5 in league play.

Austin Fine earned the win on the mound, going eight innings strong, allowing three runs on eight hits, striking out eight. Joseph Webb left the bases loaded in the ninth, earning his first save of the season in a shutout ninth.

Patrick Hogan led Catawba offensively out of the eight-spot, picking up a double, the game-tying RBI in the eighth inning and two runs scored. Levi Perrell also picked up a couple of hits and drove in a pair of runs.

Wingate's Sean Barnett got the scoring started for Wingate in the first, driving in a run on a single in the first. Ricky Clark and Michael Dansky drove in another run apiece in the third and fourth innings, respectively. 

While Catawba could not score any runs off of Wingate starter Mitch Farris, who pitched seven innings, allowing four hits and striking out nine, they picked on Wingate's bullpen in the late innings.

Hogan doubled to lead off the eighth and moved up to third on a single from Cameron Mills. Mills stole second, then Perrell drove in two on a two-out single to center field to cut Catawba's deficit to a single run.

Catawba walked and singled to start the ninth, before a Wingate error loaded the bases with nobody out. Hogan walked to tie the game and Mills walked to score the go-ahead run. Hogan later scored on a passed ball and Mills scored on a wild pitch to give Catawba insurance heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Wingate tallied back-to-back one-out singles in the ninth. Michael Dansky's walk loaded the bases with two outs. With the go-ahead run at the plate, Webb struck out the Bulldog batter to earn the save and keep Catawba atop the league standings.

Catawba and Wingate wrap up their weekend series with a doubleheader tomorrow. Game one is set for a 3 p.m. start.