Box Score by Kevin Buczek
BURLINGTON, N.C.-Freshman Andrew Webster hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning to lift sixth-seeded Barton College to a 5-2 elimination-game victory over second-seeded Erskine College in the 2014 Conference Carolinas Baseball Tournament at Burlington Athletic Stadium late Saturday night.
The Bulldogs (16-31 overall) will play their third consecutive elimination game on Sunday when Barton battles fourth-seeded King University at Noon for the right to face top-seeded University of Mount Olive in the championship game(s).
The Flying Fleet (33-15) were eliminated from the tournament going 1-2 in the tourney.
Erskine rallied to tie the contest at 2-2 before Webster, who was announced as a Second Team All-Conference selection on Thursday, lasered his decisive two-run homer to left. Freshman Calvin Hawke led off the eighth with a single up the middle.
Senior Dillon Rudio tacked on an insurance run in the ninth with a double in the right field gap that plated freshman Tyler Garrett, who scored from first after drawing a two-out walk.
Junior Zach Breen tossed retired the Fleet in order in both the eighth and ninth innings to earn his first save in a Royal Blue and White uniform. Classmate Mike Brienza (3-3), who was pitching for a third consecutive day, hurled a scoreless seventh inning and was credited with the win.
Senior left fielder Phillip Cotten was the key component in Barton building a 2-0 lead after five innings. Cotten drilled a home run to lead off the third inning and then doubled to start the fifth and then scored on a squeeze bunt by Garrett.
Cotten had only hit one home run in the regular season before depositing the first pitch of the third over the left field fence. Garrett was 2 for 2 with a walk, sac bunt, and a stolen base.
Junior starter Brandon Warren tossed five scoreless frames to start the game but settled for the no-decision when Erskine knotted the score at 2-2 in the sixth on a two-run homer by junior Logan Galliher, his sixth long ball of the season.
Barton doubled up Erskine on hits, 10-5, with Cotten and Garrett pacing eight different Bulldogs with hits with two apiece.
Three of the Flying Fleet's five base knocks were extra-base hits but EC was unable to take advance of a two-out triple by senior Chase Corn in the first and a one-out double by senior Cameron Yost in the eighth.
Barton scored its final three runs on junior Wes Schuler (5-2), who was named the league's First Team All-Conference reliever.
The Bulldogs are making their first Conference Carolinas Tournament appearance since 2011. BC also won two elimination games that season.
