Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-Senior shortstop Dillon Rudio ripped a walk-off single over the centerfielder to lead the Barton College baseball team to a dramatic 6-5 victory over visiting Limestone College in game one of Saturday's doubleheader at Nixon Field.
A complete game by Kaleb Earls led the Saints to a 7-1 win in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. Limestone improved to 13-17 overall and 4-5 in the conference after securing the series with the win in the rubber game.
Barton (8-20 overall, 3-6 conf.) next plays at Francis Marion University on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Rudio went 2 for 2 with a two walk, a two-run homer, three runs, and three RBI including the walk-off hit in the first game.
Limestone constructed a 5-1 advantage with three runs in the first and two more in the third. Senior leadoff batter KJ McAllister singled and doubled in the two frames and scored both times while junior Kyle Booth drove in three runs with a pair of singles to highlight the Saints early play.
Barton got its first run in the first without the benefit of a hit. Rudio walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and third on a passed ball, before tagging up and scoring on a sacrifice fly by junior Mitchell Wheeler.
A single by freshman Andrew Webster that scored Rudio again started the Bulldogs rally in the third. Barton then tied the score with three runs in the fifth. Rudio nailed a two-run homer at the scoreboard beyond the left field fence to pull BC within one at 5-4. Wheeler kept the rally going with a walk and was able to score the tying run from first on a three-base throwing error on a potential double play ball.
The Saints threatened a couple times late loading the bases in the fifth and seventh but junior reliever Zach Breen was able to wiggle out of both jams without allowing a run with a pair of groundouts, setting up the theatrics in the bottom of the seventh.
Garrett was hit by a pitch to begin the home half of the final frame and moved over to third on two passed balls. Rudio then drilled the ball to straightaway center without the centerfielder even chasing after it knowing it was deep enough to tag up the speedy Garrett at third even if it could be tracked down.
Breen improved to 4-1 with five innings of scoreless relief for junior starter Kyle Rufer. Breen scattered four hits and issued one walk while striking out a game-high four batters.
Limestone outhit the Bulldogs 12-5 and was led by a 4-for-4 performance by senior Chad Balderman.
In the nightcap, the Saints took an early 1-nil advantage in the first on an RBI double by Booth and then rode the arm of Earls for all nine innings. Earl (2-6) fanned eight Bulldogs and allowed just one run on six hits and three walks.
Consecutive run-producing singles off the bats of senior Avi Ahlzadeh and senior Julian Bridges increased the Saints lead to 3-0 in the third before the Bulldogs got on the board in the fourth.
Junior Avery Harper smacked a double that landed just fair inside the right field line and eventually scored Barton's lone run on a single to the left field gap by junior Snooter Merryman.
Earls held the Royal Blue and White to just two singles over the final five innings and Limestone pulled away with four runs in the sixth. Booth and senior Cooper Gunter each supplied run-producing hits before both scoring on a single by senior Tyler Wood.
LC once again finished with a commanding hit advantage, 14-6, with Booth and Gunter each hitting safely three times.
Booth totaled five hits and five RBI on the day.
Harper collected two of the Bulldogs six base knocks. Sophomore Ricky Jernigan (0-4) was tagged with the loss allowing four runs on eight hits and five walks over the first five innings.
