Box Score by Kevin Buczek
BURLINGTON, N.C.-Sophomore Ben Williams collected three base hits including a go-ahead double in leading sixth-seeded Barton College to a 2-1 victory over fifth-seeded Limestone College in an elimination game to start day two of the 2014 Conference Carolinas Baseball Tournament at Burlington Athletic Stadium on Friday.
The Bulldogs (15-31) will try and stay alive in the double-elimination tournament on Saturday against a yet to be determined opponent. The Saints (21-28) finished 0-2 in the tourney.
Five Barton pitchers limited Limestone to just five hits in the face-paced game that finished in two hours and two minutes.
Sophomore Ricky Jernigan got the start and did not allow a run over the first 4 2/3 innings and retired the first seven batters he faced against a Saints squad that scored eight runs against second-seeded Erskine on Thursday. Jernigan was not eligible for the win when he was pulled for freshman Benjamin Brann to set up a lefty-lefty matchup with two outs in the fifth and the potential tying run on base for Limestone. Brann (1-1) got the Bulldogs out of the jam with a groundout and was credited with the win going two innings.
Junior Mike Brienza, sophomore Seth Breassedale and junior Snooter Merryman tossed the final 2 1/3 innings while maintaining BC's one run cushion. Merryman earned his seventh save by retiring the Saints in order in the ninth. The scoreless performances by Jernigan and Brienza were more impressive when considering they both pitched a day earlier against nationally ranked University of Mount Olive.
Barton got its first run on LC junior starter Kaleb Earls in the fourth. Freshman Jacob Willis poked a one-out single through the left side of the infield and then scored from first on a deep double by Williams that landed just before the warning track down the left field line.
The Bulldogs doubled up their lead with another run in the sixth. Junior Mitchell Wheeler led off with a single up the middle then advanced to second on a sac bunt by Willis and third on a single by Williams before scoring on a safety squeeze bunt off the bat of senior Phillip Cotten.
Williams had three consecutive hits to pace BC's lineup that outhit Limestone, 9-5. Six different Bulldogs accounted for the half dozen other base knocks.
The Saints broke up the combined shutout bid in the seventh with senior Tyler Wood smacking a one-out single to left and eventually scoring on a double to left by junior Michael Newcomb.
Wood and Newcomb each had two hits to account for four of Limestone's five hits. Earls (3-9) was tagged with the loss despite a quality start allowing just two runs over 7 2/3 innings with three strikeouts.
Barton is making its first appearance since 2011 when the Bulldogs won two elimination games in that Conference Carolinas Tournament to finish third.
