Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 by Cory Guinn
WILSON, N.C. – The Barton College baseball team stretch its win streak to five games with a 14-4 victory over Chowan in game one of Wednesday's doubleheader, however, the Hawks earned a 7-4 victory in game two that was called due to darkness at Nixon Field.
The Bulldogs improve their overall record to 5-2 while the Hawks moved their record to 4-5 overall after the two-game split.
Game One: Barton 14 Chowan 4 (5 inn.)
Chowan's offense got the ball rolling early in the first game of the day, scoring two runs on three hits in the opening half inning for an early 2-0 advantage.
However, the Bulldogs would answer with six runs on six hits of their own on the ensuing trip through the lineup.
With two outs and two runners on, sophomore Andrew Webster drove in Barton's first run with an RBI single to left field before senior Avery Harper tied the game at two runs apiece with an RBI single of his own.
Junior Nick McKinney put the Bulldogs ahead by one with an RBI single up the middle, before junior Ben Youngblood sent a ball over the left field fence for a three-run home run, the first of his career, and a 6-2 lead for Barton after one inning of play.
The Barton offense continued to fire on all cylinders with a seven-run second inning to stretch the lead even farther.
Harper collected his second RBI of the game on an RBI single through the left side, while a double from McKinney drove in another run to put the Bulldogs ahead by six runs.
Youngblood would add two more RBI to his total with a single to left center before being driven home on a single by senior JT Bunce. Barton's final run of the inning would score when Bunce scored on a throwing error by the Chowan catcher attempting to pick a runner off at first base.
Sophomore Calvin Hawke gave Barton its final run of the game with an RBI single in the third, before Chowan added two runs of its own in the top of the fifth inning for a 14-4 score.
The head coaches of each team agreed to call the game after five innings of play in order to begin the second game and finish the doubleheader before dark.
Youngblood was a perfect 3-for-3 in the game with a home run, two runs scored and five RBI, while Harper was also perfect, finishing 2-for-2 at the plate with three runs scored, two RBI and two walks. Bunce and McKinney each finished the game with two hits apiece and combined for three RBI and three runs scored.
Sophomore Kerry Walker (2-0) earned his second win in a row, allowing just two runs on five hits with three strikeouts in his first start of the season. Redshirt-freshman Josh Mims, pitching in his first career game, allowed two runs on two hits in the final inning.
Game Two: Chowan 5 Barton 4 (6 inn.)
The Hawks once again jumped on the board early, using three runs in the first to take a 3-0 advantage. All three runs score for Chowan were credited as unearned runs due to two costly errors in the field by the Barton defense.
Barton responded quickly in the bottom of the first cutting the Chowan lead to 3-2 after a two-run home run from the bat of redshirt-junior Matthew Berry.
Neither team was able to gain much momentum over the next few innings until the Bulldogs tied the game at 3-3 when McKinney scored on a wild pitch from Chowan's Cody Smith in the fourth inning of play.
The Bulldogs would again score on an errant throw by the Hawks, this time a throwing error from the shortstop which allowed Webster to score from second and Barton to take a 4-3 lead after five innings.
With two outs on the scoreboard, Chowan loaded the bases before a Barton fielding error, the team's third of the game, allowed the Hawks to tie the game at 4-4 in the top of the sixth inning.
After a pitching change Chowan's Will Garganus put his team ahead 5-4 with an RBI single off the first pitch from senior Mike Brienza before the Bulldogs got out of the inning.
The Bulldogs were shut down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth as the game was called after six innings of play due to darkness.
Despite playing the top half of the seventh inning and two batters in the bottom of the frame, NCAA rules dictate that a game ending because of darkness must revert the score and all statistics to the most recent full inning of play.
Berry finished the contest 1-for-4 with a home run, a run scored and two RBI, as Bunce, McKinney, Webster and sophomore Shawn Montren each recorded a hit in the game.
Freshman right-hander Trent Fennell (0-1) suffered the loss in his first career game, allowing five runs (none earned) on four hits with four walks and six strikeouts in 5.2 innings on the mound.
Brienza finished the last 1/3 of the sixth inning, allowing just one hit in his second appearance of the season.
Barton will host Shippensburg University in a three-game series this weekend, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday, February 14 with first pitch of game on scheduled for noon in Wilson.
