GAFFNEY, S.C.-Redshirt freshman David Gibbons collected hits in all three games, drove in four runs and hit his second home run of the season for Barton College but Limestone College won all three Conference Carolinas games this past weekend at Bob Prevatte Field.
The Saints – who moved into the NCBWA Southeast Region Poll at No. 10 on Monday – took Saturday's doubleheader by scores of 7-5 and 11-8 before completing the series sweep with a 6-4 win on Sunday. Limestone concluded the weekend with a 24-13 overall record and maintained third place in the conference standings with a 11-6 league ledger.
The Bulldogs (12-23 Overall, 5-11 Conf.) have lost six straight conference games. BC sits one game behind Coker College for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Conference standings heading into the final regular season weekend of the season. Barton will prepare for its important three-game series at St. Andrews Presbyterian College with a road tilt at UNC Pembroke on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
BC outhit LC in all three games for a 35-25 total edge but the Bulldog batters left 28 runners on base while the pitching staff issued 16 walks and the defense committed four errors.
Gibbons, a designated hitter and outfielder from Wilson, N.C., ripped a total of four extra base hits with two doubles, one triple and one home run. Junior Ryan Daughtry (Princeton, N.C.) tied Gibbons with five hits in the three-game set.
Daughtry and sophomore Zac Crumpler (Wilson, N.C.) both hit safely in all three games to extend their team-best hit streaks to six games apiece.
GAME ONE: Limestone 7, Barton 5
Limestone scored the contests first six runs and then held off a late Barton charge for a 7-5 win in the opener. The Saints were outhit 13-10 but took advantage of three long balls including a two-run homer by freshman Chad Balderman in the second and back-to-back diggers by senior Micah Robinson and junior Joe Maloney in the fifth.
The Bulldogs scored in each of the final four innings to pull within two but were unable to complete the dramatic comeback. Sophomore Clay Martin (Pittsboro, N.C.) had an RBI-groundout in the sixth; Gibbons crushed a two-run homer to center in the seventh; sophomore Phillip Williams (Gibson, N.C.) belted a run-producing double in the eighth; and Daughtry knocked in Barton's final run with a fielder's choice in the ninth.
Gibbons had three of the Bulldogs 13 hits and was just a double shy of hitting for the cycle. Daughtry and freshman Collins Cuthrell (Rocky Mount, N.C.) each produced two base knocks.
Senior starter Hunter Meekins (Manteo, N.C.) took the loss allowing six runs on seven hits over the first 4 2/3. Meekins (2-6) had two of the Bulldogs four strikeouts.
Sophomore counterpart Cameron Ward improved to 6-1 on the season holding Barton to three runs on nine hits in 6 2/3 innings of work. Classmate Cameron Culp notched his eighth save of the campaign.
GAME TWO: Limestone 11, Barton 8
Barton rallied from a pair of three-run deficits to tie the game up at 3-3 and 6-6 but Limestone scored five runs in the sixth and then held off another Bulldog rally for the 11-8 triumph in Saturday's seven-inning nightcap.
BC once again outhit Limestone 11-9 but eight walks helped the Saints manufacture the needed runs for the victory. Balderman broke the 6-6 tie with a two-run double before a pair of bases loaded free passes and a fielder's choice led to three important insurance runs.
Senior Matt Willis (Wilmington, N.C.) put Barton on the board in the third with an RBI-single. Classmate Jordan Smith (Longmont, Colo.) later deadlocked the score for the first time at 3-3 with his team-leading third home run of the season over the left field fence in the fourth.
After Limestone regained a three-run cushion with a trio of runs in the bottom of the fourth, Barton knotted the score for a second time with three of its own runs in the top of the fifth. Senior Aaron Watkins (Newport News, Va.) pulled the Bulldogs to within one with a two-run single while a Crumpler groundout plated the third Barton run.
The visitors tried to rally for a third time in the seventh which featured an RBI-double by Gibbons but Culp got out of the jam in the non-save opportunity with a game-ending popup. Junior Thomas Fekete was credited with the winning tossing two innings of scoreless relief in the seventh and eighth.
Sophomore relieve Mitchell Frazier (Oxford, N.C.) took his first loss of the season allowing six runs (three earned) in 2 1/3 innings of action. Frazier allowed just three hits but issued five free passes. Classmate Kyle Norville (Tarboro, N.C.) suffered his shortest league start of the season allowing three runs on six hits over the first 2 2/3.
GAME THREE: Limestone 6, Barton 4
The script remained the same in the series finale on Sunday at Barton outhit Limestone but the Saints built up an early lead with the help of walks before holding off a late Bulldog charge. Limestone completed the series sweep winning 6-4.
The Saints pulled out to a 6-1 advantage with runs in four of the first six innings. Junior Tyler Martin finished the game without an official plate appearance but did score twice after drawing a pair of walks before adding a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Junior Chris Rawlings (Charlotte, N.C.) drove in the Bulldogs first run with a single in the fourth before starting BC's unlikely comeback attempt with a leadoff single in n the seventh before later scoring on a hit by Daughtry. Crumpler followed with another single that plated Gibbons, who doubled earlier in the frame.
Rawlings was a perfect 4-for-4 with four singles as Barton held an 11-6 hit surplus. Daughtry, who scored an unearned run in the ninth, and Crumpler each tallied two hits.
Junior Bentley Massey (Wilson, N.C.) was tagged with the loss by giving up six runs on five hits and four walks over seven innings. Massey (3-5) led all hurlers with eight strikeouts.
LC junior starter Matt Crisp (3-1) held Barton to three runs over six innings in the winning effort. Classmate Andrew Thompson closed out the game for his second save of the year.
