Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 by Cory Guinn
WILSON, N.C. – The Barton College baseball team split a Saturday doubleheader with Conference Carolinas foe Limestone College, winning the first game 11-7 but falling 5-3 in game two at Nixon Field.
After the split Barton is now 12-3 overall and 3-2 in league play, while the Saints moved their record to 10-12 overall with a 1-4 mark against conference opponents.
Game One: Barton 11, Limestone 7
Sophomore right-hander Dylan Ward (3-1) continued his strong start to the season by picking up his third win in four starts in game one after allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits with 11 strikeouts and no walks. It was Ward's second start allowing no walks, while recording double-digit strikeouts for the first time.
Redshirt-sophomore Benjamin Brann allowed two runs on four hits with two strikeouts in one inning of relief.
Barton and Limestone were scoreless through the first three innings of plays as the two sides recorded just two hits piece. However, Limestone scored two runs on two hits in the top of the fourth for a 2-0 lead before sophomore Hunter Pearre hit his first career home run over the left field fence to lead off the bottom half and cut the Limestone lead to one run.
Limestone scored three more runs on four hits in the top of the fifth inning, scoring on back-to-back-to-back two-out RBI singles. The Bulldogs responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth highlighted by a two-run home run from junior Calvin Hawke, as Limestone held a 5-4 lead after five innings of play.
Following a scoreless sixth, Pearre and junior Tyler Garrett reached base with one out in the top of the seventh to bring junior Andrew Webster to the plate. Webster continued his early season hot streak belting a three-run home run, his fifth of the season, to clear the bases and give BC a 7-5 lead.
The Bulldogs added four runs on four hits and took advantage of two Limestone errors to build an 11-5 lead in the eighth as the Saints scored two runs in the top half of the ninth but could not overcome the BC lead.
Webster was 3-for-4 in game one with a home run, a run scored and three RBI as Pearre finished 3-for-3 at the plate with a home run, two runs scored, two RB and two walk. Hawke was 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and four RBI, while freshman Ricks Dearing was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Senior Ben Williams also recorded an RBI in the win.
Game Two: Limestone 5, Barton 3 (Seven innings)
Limestone got on the scoreboard first in the second game of the day, scoring one run in the top half of the first inning. Barton immediately took the lead in the bottom of the frame as an RBI double from Webster and a two-RBI single from Shawn Montren put BC ahead 3-1 early on.
The two offense went quiet through the next few innings until Limestone score three runs on four hits in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. The Saints added one more run to its total in the fifth, scoring on a Barton fielding errors.
Barton loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fifth but two consecutive batters struck out swinging as BC went down in order in both the sixth and seventh innings to end the game.
Sophomore Trent Fennell (2-2) suffered the loss after allowing five runs (two earned) on eight hits with three walks and one strikeout. Fellow sophomore Andrew Davis pitched the final three innings of relief, striking out one batter without allowing a hit.
Webster was once again 3-for-4 at the plate, finishing with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Montren was 1-for-2 with two RBI, while Chris Davis, Jacob Willis and Ben Youngblood also recorded a hit in the contest.
Barton and Limestone conclude the three-game series with a game schedule for 1 p.m. tomorrow at Nixon Field.
