Box Score by Cory Guinn
WILSON, N.C. – The Barton College baseball team picked up its biggest win of the season so far with a 10-9 victory over UNC Pembroke, which began the week ranked No. 9 in the NCBWA Southeast Region rankings.
The Bulldogs (11-2) scored 10 runs on 14 hits, including four extra-back knocks with three doubles and one home run while the Braves (10-4) score nine runs on 14 hits but committed to errors in the ball game.
Pembroke began the game scoring two runs on back-to-back RBI doubles from Justin Dattilo and Stibel Aleman Saba to lead 2-0 after just a half inning of play. However, Barton scored seven runs on seven hits in the bottom of the second to take a 7-2 lead.
Junior Blake Spangenberg led off the second inning with a single through the right side and later scored on an RBI single from freshman Ricks Dearing.
Senior Ben Youngblood and junior Calvin Hawke gave Barton the lead with back-to-back RBI doubles down the left field line before juniors Tyler Garret and Andrew Webster brought two runs across the plate with an RBI single each. Junior Jacob Willis concluded the scoring in the inning with a two-run home run over the left field fence, his first long ball of the season.
The Braves responded with a two-run third before Barton got the two runs back in the bottom half as Dearing and junior Shawn Montren scored on an error by the Pembroke shortstop for a 9-4 lead. Pembroke scored twice more in the fourth to close the gap to a three-run deficit.
Webster scored his second run of the game in the fourth inning as the Pembroke left fielder misplayed a ball leading to the run. The Braves brought two more runs home in the sixth and another in the eighth inning as Barton was able to hold one for the win.
Sophomore left-hander Andrew Davis, making his first career collegiate start, allowed four runs on five hits with two strikeouts but walked four batters in three innings of work. Junior Justin Evans (3-0) was credited with the win despite allowing four runs on five hits in 2.1 innings of relief.
Redshirt-sophomore Benjaming Brann pitched 2.1 innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one run on five hits with two strikeouts, while freshman Troy Maslowski earned his fourth save in as many chances, allowing just one hit over the final 1.1 innings of the game.
Webster, who was recently named Conference Carolinas and NCBWA Southeast Region Player of the Week, was 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Dearing finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Garrett, Hawke and Spangenberg also collected two hits each.
Barton hosts Limestone College this weekend in a three-game series beginning with a single game on Friday, March 4 at 2:30 p.m. in Wilson.
