Box Score
by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-Barton College scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to rally for an 8-3 win against defending Southeast Region champion and No. 18 ABCA nationally ranked Catawba College on Wednesday afternoon at Nixon Field.
Six different Bulldogs had at least one run batted in en route to Barton's second upset win of a nationally ranked program during the team's 10-game homestand (BC also defeated then-No. 15 UNC Pembroke 5-3 on March 19). Barton finished the series of 10 home games 8-2 to improve to 13-14 overall. The Indians, who are also ranked No. 15 in the current NCBWA Top-25 Poll, departed at 25-10.
"Anytime we can take a win from Catawba is great," said Barton second year head coach Josh Simmons. "They are a quality program and it's pretty big for us. We just played well. We had good pitching; good defense and a few timely hits mixed in there and took advantage of a few mistakes they made. That is what good teams do and hopefully that means we are turning the corner into becoming a good team."
Trailing 3-2 heading to the home half of the eight, senior Phillip Williams started the decisive one-out rally with his fourth hit of the day. Junior Collins Cuthrell followed with a single to extend his team-best hit streak to a dozen games. Sophomore Avery Harper kept pace with the Bulldogs third straight single, going the opposite way down the right field line that scored Williams from second and moved Cuthrell to third. Harper's RBI base knock stretched his current hit streak to 11 games.
Sophomore JT Bunce laid down a suicide squeeze on Barton's ensuing at bat. The Tribe attempted to keep the score knotted at 3-3 but the pitcher's underhanded scoop and toss was late as Cuthrell sprinted across the dish for the go-ahead run. Bunce reached first on the sacrifice fielder's choice RBI. Freshman Nathan Boykin then loaded the bases with his second single that chased losing pitcher Ryan McClintock (1-2). A wild pitch on the next Catawba arm's first pitch allowed Harper to trot home. Senior Alex Brann drew a walk to once again fill the bases with Bulldogs that led to another base on balls issued to sophomore Spiers Miller to score Bunce for the hitless RBI. Senior Clay Martin provided the knockout blow with a single up the middle that knocked in Boykin and Brann to increase Barton's lead to five.
The Indians were retired in order by sophomore reliever Ches Lamm in the top of the ninth to end the game and the well-played homestand. A diving catch by Bunce in center field for the second out kept any chance of a Catawba comeback from happening.
Senior reliever Mitchell Frazier (1-1) gave up the go-ahead run to the visitors in the top of the eighth but was credited with the win after the Bulldogs raced ahead with their six runs moments later. Pinch hitter Zach Smith dribbled a run-producing single to right field that put the Indians up 3-2 but he was then caught stealing on a throw by Barton backstop Alex Brann to end the threat.
The two teams traded the contests first two runs in the first that included a game-tying single by Williams. Catawba took the lead for second time in the second on a sacrifice fly by Keaton Hawks but a leadoff hit by Williams in the fourth helped Barton answer again. Boykin hit a two-out blooper just out of the reach of the Indians center fielder to score Williams with his first collegiate hit and RBI.
Catawba had several chances to score more runs in the first six innings leaving seven runners stranded over that span but the Bulldogs first two pitchers did an excellent job of wiggling out of several jams. Sophomore starter Duncan Everett went four innings and only allowed two runs on four hits against a Catawba squad that entered the game batting .313 on the season and averaging nearly eight runs per game. Senior Christian Oliver hurled the next two scoreless innings even though the Indians were able to load the bases with one out in the fifth. Oliver had both of the Bulldogs strikeouts.
The four Barton hurlers kept the Indians inside the ball park the whole game by not allowing a home run, which was a strong feat because Catawba entered the week ranked sixth nationally with 34 long balls launched in its first 33 games.
Williams led the Bulldogs 12-hit onslaught going 4-for-5 with four singles and two runs scored. Boykin and Brann each finished with a pair of pokes.
Barton will try and extend its season best four-game win streak on the road as the Bulldogs visit Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C., for a three-game Conference Carolinas series on Friday and Saturday.
Coach Simmons concluded, "This weekend is really pivotal. Last week was big [Barton sweeping league foe Erskine] but this weekend is huge. We need to play well and win some more games to move up the ladder and hopefully get into the Conference Carolinas Tournament."
