Box Score by Kevin Buczek
SAVANNAH, Ga.-The Barton College baseball team will have a stern early season test when the Bulldogs take the diamond against Southeast Region power Armstrong Atlantic State University for a three-game series on Saturday-Sunday.
Due to wet conditions, the two teams have revised the weekend schedule and will now playing just one game on Saturday at 1 p.m., before concluding play at Pirate Field with a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.
AASU sports information will be providing Live Stats and Live Video for all three games.
Barton baseball fans can follow the Bulldogs throughout the season on www.BartonBulldogs.com and via social media including Twitter and Facebook.
Barton College Baseball
The Bulldogs begin 2014 at 1-1 after splitting a neutral site twin bill with Lenoir-Rhyne on Wednesday (RECAP).
Senior first baseman Collins Cuthrell, junior catcher Snooter Merryman and freshman third baseman Andrew Webster led the Bulldogs from the plate with two hits apiece and have all started the season batting .333. Sophomore second baseman Ben Youngblood (.571 on-base percentage), Cuthrell (.500) and senior shortstop Dillon Rudio (.500) all reached base in at least half of their plate appearances as Barton drew 13 walks in 15 innings Wednesday. Rudio, who is the Bulldogs leadoff batter, has a team-high two runs scored.
Cuthrell is a two-time Conference Carolinas All-Conference honoree.
Junior Zach Breen was credited with his first win in a Royal Blue and White uniform with 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief in his Barton debut. Classmate Duncan Everett started that game and hurled five scoreless innings in the no-decision. Junior transfer Kyle Rufer has Barton's other start and settled for a no-decision as well. Everett, junior Brandon Warren and sophomore Ricky Jernigan are the only returning Barton pitchers that started last season. Warren and Jernigan did not toe the rubber on Wednesday.
Barton is batting .220, has a 3.21 ERA and a .956 fielding percentage.
The Bulldogs is playing Armstrong Atlantic for the first time under the leadership of third year head coach Josh Simmons. BC has not played AASU since losing 22-6 to the Pirates in a neutral site game on April 6, 2006.
Armstrong Atlantic State University Baseball
The Pirates, who are ranked 10th in the NCBWA Southeast Region preseason top-10 poll, opened up last Sunday with a pair of convincing wins against Voorhees (11-0 and 16-1). Armstrong Atlantic has advanced to the NCAA Tournament each of its last two seasons with final ledgers of 41-16 in 2012 and 31-17 in 2013.
Calvain Culberson takes over as head coach for the Pirates after assisting his alma mater for 18 years. AASU finished last season with a national ranking of No. 22 by the ABCA.
The battery duo of right-handed pitcher Ethan Bader and catcher Clayton Miller return for their senior seasons after earning Peach Belt Conference All-Conference honors and NCBWA All-Region accolades in 2013.
Miller, who has gone on to claim preseason laurels by both the PBC and NCBWA, is off to a hot start batting .500 (4 of 8) with six RBI.
Bader tossed five scoreless innings to start his season 1-0 and recorded 12 of his 15 outs by strikeout. Junior Tyler Allen has the Pirates other win on the mound with four scoreless innings of work in his only start.
Junior third baseman Zach Lance has made an immediate impact for Armstrong after transferring in from Chattanooga State Community College. Lance is batting .571 with three doubles, three runs and two RBI. Junior outfielder Joey Lupus and Matt Wisniewski follow Miller with four RBI apiece.
AASU is batting .564, has a 0.00 ERA and maintains a .965 fielding percentage.
