Box Score by Cory Guinn
SALISBURY, N.C. – The Barton College baseball team was unable to break its recent slump after falling to host Catawba College 20-2 on Tuesday night at Newman Park.
The Indians (31-7), nationally ranked at No. 12 overall in the Collegiate Baseball Division II Poll, were able to pound out 20 total hits in the game including eight of the extra base variety.
Barton (14-23) loaded the bases with three singles in the first inning of play but could not bring a run across the plate. Catawba, however, score eight runs on seven hits in the opening frame to build an early 8-0 lead.
Catawba took advantage of three walks and a hit batsman to add two more runs in the bottom of the second before junior Nick McKinney sent a solo home run over the right field fence for Barton's first run in the top of the third inning.
A five-run third inning and a four-run fifth built the Indian lead to a 19-1 advantage until sophomore Jacob Willis drove in a run with an RBI single in the sixth.
An RBI triple in the eighth pushed Catawba's final run across the plate as Barton was able to advance a runner into scoring position in the top of the ninth but left him stranded.
Sophomore right-hander Kerry Walker (2-2) suffered the loss after allowing eight runs on seven hits with two strikeouts in the game's opening inning of play.
Freshmen Trent Fennell and Andrew Davis combined to pitch 2.2 scoreless innings of relief with three total strikeouts as the Bulldogs were forced to use seven pitchers in the contest.
McKinney finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored, an RBI and his fifth home run of the season, as sophomore Andrew Webster was also 2-for-3 in the game. Willis turned in a 1-for-3 performance with an RBI.
The Bulldogs postseason hopes remain alive as they head into a three-game series with provisional Conference Carolinas member Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Ga. Game one of the weekend is scheduled for Friday, April 10 at 4:30 p.m.
