Box Score by Cory Guinn
GAFFNEY, S.C. – The Barton College baseball team opened Conference Carolinas play on Friday evening but fell victim to the long ball as Limestone hit four home runs in earning an 8-7 win over the Bulldogs under the lights at Founders FCU Stadium.
Barton (13-2, 0-1) and Limestone (10-5, 1-0) were scoreless through the game's opening four and half innings of play until the Saints' shortstop Zach Piazza hit a three-run home run to left center to opening the scoring in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Royal Blue and White responded with three runs of its own in the top half of the sixth inning as senior Jacob Willis drove a run in to put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard. Sophomore Gatlin Pate tied the game at 3-all with an RBI double that brought two runs across before a solo home run in the bottom half put Limestone ahead 4-3.
In the seventh, sophomore Chase Riker had an RBI single to knot the score at 4-4 before senior Shawn Montren singled up the middle with the bases loaded to score two runs for Barton and give his team a 6-4 lead.
However, the lead was short-lived as Limestone's Chase Allen hit his second home run of the game, a three-run blast, in the bottom of the eighth to put the Saints ahead 7-6. A two-out solo shot from Brandon Etheridge in the same inning gave Limestone an insurance run and stretched the lead to an 8-6 edge.
Barton looked to put together a rally in the top of the ninth inning as freshman Matt Daughtry hit a two-out, pinch hit single to the left side and advanced to third following consecutive wild pitches.
After a walk put runners on the corners for BC, Montren once again singled to center, driving in the runner from third and bringing the Bulldogs within one run. A hard hit grounder to first was fielded cleanly by the Limestone first baseman who stepped on the bag and ended the threat of a Barton comeback.
Montren led the BC offense, finishing 3-for-5 at the plate with three RBI, while Pate was 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI of his own. Redshirt-senior was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored as Riker and Willis also had RBIs for the Bulldogs.
Junior Trent Fennell did not factor in the decision after starting the game on the mound for Barton, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with six strikeouts over five innings.
Fellow junior Andrew Davis (2-1) suffered the loss after giving up four runs on just three hits in 2.2 innings out of the bullpen before freshman Landry Moore struck out the only batter he faced in relief.
Barton and Limestone conclude the three-game weekend series with a doubleheader tomorrow in Gaffney with first pitch of game one scheduled for Noon.
