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Box Score 2
by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-A walk-off home run by junior Avery Harper and a complete-game shutout by Kyle Norville on his Senior Day highlighted play for the Barton College baseball team in a key 11-9 and 6-0 Conference Carolinas doubleheader sweep of visiting Belmont Abbey College on Friday at historic Fleming Stadium.
The Bulldogs kept its playoff hopes alive for another day by winning both ends of the twin bill but still needs Erskine to lose two games on Saturday to have any chance of advancing to next week's Conference Carolinas Tournament in Burlington, N.C.
Barton (19-22 Overall, 9-14 Conf.) and Belmont Abbey (26-15-1, 10-11) are scheduled to play the final game of the three-game series on Saturday. Game officials will check field conditions after Friday night's rain in the morning to make a determination on the game status including start time. Fans are encouraged to check the baseball schedule page of BartonBulldogs.com for updates.
Second year head coach Josh Simmons honored his senior class of seven between Friday's games including Norville, Phillip Williams, Christian Oliver, Clay Martin, Zac Crumpler, Mitchell Frazier and Alex Brann.
GAME ONE: Barton 11, Belmont Abbey 9
The Bulldogs used the long ball to rally for an improbable 11-9 walk-off win in the opener. The Abbey led 9-3 before Barton scored eight unanswered runs in the final four innings to complete the comeback that was capped by Harper's two-run blast that cleared the scoreboard beyond the left field fence.
Barton held an early 3-1 lead on a three-run homer by Crumpler in the bottom of the second. Crumpler's shot that he golfed down the left field line was his second homer of his final season.
The Crusaders pulled ahead with three runs in the third and four more runs in the fourth. Anthony Dimino, Kennan Stanley and Connor Kwalwasser all had two-run hits in the visitors surge ahead. An RBI single by Kyle Buchanan in the sixth extended the Crusaders cushion to six runs before Barton answered.
Sophomore Spiers Miller hit the Bulldogs second 3-run homer of the game in the sixth to cut the deficit in half, 9-6, in the sixth. Williams, who started the game on the mound for Barton, helped his own cause in the seventh with an RBI double to right field. However, Belmont Abbey got out of the jam by throwing out a Bulldog at the plate and then All-American shortstop/closer Emilio Pagan relieved starter Nate Cudney and quickly got the next two outs.
Pagan hurled a 1-2-3 eighth inning and was in line for the save toeing the rubber in the ninth before running into trouble. Junior Dillon Rudio led off the frame with a double down the left field line. Sophomore Mitchell Wheeler then traded places with him by tagging his own double down the left field line to score Rudio. Junior Collins Cuthrell followed with a single through the left side of the infield before a sacrifice fly by Phillip Williams tied the game with Wheeler tagging up at third. Harper then smashed his no-doubter that ended play.
Oliver (6-4) picked up the win with five strong innings of relief. Oliver only allowed one run on four hits while striking out seven Crusaders. Pagan (1-5) suffered the loss.
Cuthrell was 4-for-5 and Williams was 3-for-4. Wheeler and Harper each added a pair of base knocks.
GAME TWO: Barton 6, Belmont Abbey 0
Norville tossed a two-hitter that just took 95 minutes to complete, which was clutch for the host Bulldogs as the sky opened up and started pouring just moments after the final out was recorded. The Bulldogs score in four different innings to provide the southpaw with plenty of run support as Barton completed the sweep of the double dip with six-run triumph.
Norville (4-4) started off a little shaky issuing both of his hits in the first inning and hitting a batter but a double play in the frame kept the Abbey of the board. Norville did not allow a hit over his final six innings in the complete-game shutout while tallying four strikeouts.
The Bulldogs offense kept going after the first game with Rudio drawing a lead-off walk in the first and scoring on a triple by Cuthrell to the centerfield wall.
Barton maintained a narrow 1-nil advantage until the Bulldogs bats tacked on three runs in the fourth. Sophomore JT Bunce knocked in the first two runs with a double before a suicide squeeze perfectly executed by Miller finished off the frame.
Cuthrell and Miller had run-producing singles in the sixth and seventh, respectively, to conclude the Bulldogs offensive output. Cuthrell and Martin collected two hits apiece as BC outhit the Abbey by five, 7-2.
Cody Stull (6-3) went the distance for the Crusaders but was tagged with the loss. Stull had eight strikeouts but he gave up six runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks.
