Box Score
by Benny Benton
WILSON, N.C.-Senior Phillip Williams and junior Dillon Rudio each drove in a pair of runs, and three Barton College pitchers combined on a five-hitter as the Bulldogs produced their biggest win of the year Tuesday, edging 15th-ranked UNC Pembroke, 5-3, in a non-conference baseball contest at Fleming Stadium.
Williams drove in the go-ahead run for Barton in the bottom of the seventh, a slow roller down the third base line with two outs and the bases loaded. One inning later, Rudio came up in the same situation – two outs and the bases loaded – and delivered a single through the left side of the infield that drove in two important insurance runs.
The Bulldogs improved to 9-13 overall. Barton is 6-4 at home.
UNC Pembroke (20-7) threatened in the ninth, getting a leadoff double by Jordan Edgerton and consecutive one-out singles by Ben Schmucker and Zade Denton to cut the deficit to 5-3. However, Barton junior reliever Zach Beachem induced a 6-4-3 double play from pinch-hitter Derrick Phillips to close out the win and collect his second save of the year.
Beachem protected the win for Ches Lamm (2-0), who tossed 2 1/3 innings of relief, giving up two hits and the ninth-inning run while striking out two. Aaron Spano (1-5), the third of five pitchers in the contest for the Braves, took the loss.
While Lamm and Spano were the pitchers of record, it was starters Brandon Warren for Barton and Connor Pratt for UNC Pembroke who dominated most of the game.
Pratt tossed five scoreless innings for the Braves, giving up just three hits while striking out three. Barton managed to get two runners on base in both the second and fourth innings, but Pratt worked out of both jams.
Warren, meanwhile, allowed just a single hit through six innings of work for the Bulldogs, walking three and striking out three. Unfortunately for Warren, the one hit was a second-inning solo home run to right field by Denton. The Braves also added an unearned run in the top of the sixth to take a 2-0 advantage.
Despite throwing just 67 pitches, Pratt was lifted to start the bottom of the sixth, and reliever Jimmie Davis issued walks to the first two batters he faced, Rudio and Mitchell Wheeler. Williams then singled to left center, driving in Rudio with Barton's first run of the game. Spano took over for Davis, but two batters later, Avery Harper delivered a single back up the middle, scoring Wheeler to tie the game at 2-all.
In the bottom of the seventh, Phillip Cotten drew a leadoff walk from Spano, and moved to second on Zac Crumpler's sacrifice bunt. Spiers Miller singled through the left side, advancing Cotten to third, and Rudio was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Spanos got a strikeout for the second out before giving way to UNCP left-hander Brandon Estrain to face Williams. However, Williams produced the slow-roller down the line to drive in the go-ahead run.
With one out in the eighth, Clay Martin was hit by a pitch and Cotten drew a walk. A passed ball and a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, and Miller walked to load the bases again. Rudio then singled through the left side, driving in Martin and Cotten to give Barton a 5-2 advantage.
Williams finished the night with three hits, while Harper added a pair. Denton had three of UNCP's five hits and both RBI. Williams has an eight-game hit streak, Collins Cuthrell has now hit safely in seven and Harper follows with a six-game hit streak.
Barton, which has won three games in a row and four of its last five to begin its season long home stand, will host Kutztown University in a 2 p.m. contest Wednesday at Nixon Field.
