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Box Score 2
by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-A complete-game shutout by Kyle Norville and a pair of home runs by Collins Cuthrell led the Barton College baseball teams to a doubleheader split against Limestone College on Friday at historic Fleming Stadium.
The Saints (9-21 Overall, 2-12 Conf.) won the first game 11-6 and the Bulldogs (9-19, 3-10) won the second game 7-0. The two squads will play the rubber game on Saturday at Nixon Field with first pitch slated for Noon.
Norville flirted with a no-hitter before Limestone senior Paul Lyon broke up the bid with a double to the right field warning track with two outs in the sixth inning. Freshman Avery Harper was almost able to track down the long fly ball but the ball remained just out of reach.
The 6-foot-4 left handed Norville has both of Barton's shutouts on the season. Norville (2-6) finished the nightcap allowing just two hits and three walks over seven innings while striking out a pair. The Tarboro, N.C., product was very efficient only needed 71 pitches to complete the game and had 10 groundball outs including a game-ending double play.
Cuthrell highlighted the Bulldogs offense in the second game going 3-for-3 with two doubles and a three-run homer to left field. Cuthrell drove in a total of four BC runs.
The Bulldogs gave Norville early run support with an RBI-groundout by junior Phillip Williams in the first, a run-producing double by Harper in the second and Cuthrell's three-run jack in the third. Cuthrell then completed Barton's scoring with an RBI-double in the fifth.
Lyon, who ended Norville's no-hit offer, contributed most of the Saints offense in the first game that propelled Limestone to the game one victory. Lyon went deep twice, drilling a two-run blast to right-center in the first before smashing a three-run shot to straightaway center in the second.
Lyon drove in a total of five Limestone runs. Senior Jake Rierson and sophomore Chad Balderman each added two RBI and senior Zach Howard added the Saints third dinger with a solo shot in the eighth.
The Bulldogs were able to score three runs on Saints' senior starter Josh White, who entered the game ranked second in the conference with an ERA of 2.00 but five Limestone unearned runs in the second kept the visitors in front throughout.
White (1-2) went seven innings scattering eight hits but showed control with seven strikeouts and zero walks.
Barton trailed 8-1 before scoring in each of the last three frames to close the final gap to five runs.
Harper had three of the Bulldogs 12 hits with a trio of singles. Williams ripped a pair of doubles and Daughtry provided a two RBI-singles. Freshman Tyler George recorded his first collegiate home run with a laser down the right field line in the seventh before adding a double in the ninth.
Cuthrell hit his first home run of the day in the eighth inning of the opener, ripping the two-run shot off the scoreboard beyond the left field fence.
Cuthrell, a sophomore infielder from Rocky Mount, N.C., has three home runs on the season.
