Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 by Cory Guinn
WILSON, N.C. – Junior Trent Fennell and sophomore Dylan Ward each tossed complete games from the mound as Barton took a doubleheader, 8-1 and 3-2, over Conference Carolinas opponent King University on Friday evening at Fleming Stadium.
Ward (5-2) struck out eight batters while allowing just one unearned run on six hits in the first game of day for Barton (18-10, 3-8), while Fennell (4-0) maintained his perfect record in a game two victory. The right-hander allowed two runs on seven hits with 11 strikeout over eight innings of work as the Bulldogs won in walk-off fashion for the third time this week.
Game One: Barton 8, King (Tenn.) 1
Ward was in control early and often in the opening game, carrying a no-hitter into the fourth inning of play.
Barton gave the Laurinburg, N.C. resident all the run support he needed in the first inning, scoring twice on an RBI single from senior Calvin Hawke and a sacrifice fly from sophomore Gatlin Pate.
King's only run came in the fourth inning, while Barton answered with a run of its own in the bottom half on an RBI single by senior Tyler Garrett. Hawke homered in the fifth inning, a solo shot over the scoreboard in left field, to put his team ahead 4-1.
As Ward continued to hold the Tornado offense at bay, Barton scored four more runs in the game, two in the sixth and two in the eighth to secure the win. Hawke and fellow senior Andrew Webster each had an RBI double in the sixth inning, while Hawke and Pate had one RBI apiece in the eighth.
Hawke finished the game a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with a double, a home run and four RBI, falling just a triple away from the cycle. Pate was 2-for-3 with two RBI of his own, while Garrett, Webster and sophomore Troy Maslowski also had two hits apiece.
Game Two: Barton 3, King (Tenn.) 2 (Eight inn.)
Fennell ran into early trouble in the night cap, as King put together back-to-back singles to begin the second inning. After consecutive strikeouts, J.P. Castenada doubled down the right field line to clear the bases and put the Tornado ahead 2-0.
However, he allowed just three hits over the final six innings of play as the Barton offense continued to chip away at the Tornado lead.
Pate put Barton on the board with an RBI single in the fourth inning before a Webster RBI double in the fifth tied the game at 2-all. Each side put a runner on in the seventh but strikeouts ended both halves of the inning.
In the top of the eighth, Fennell allowed a walk but forced three fly outs to end the King half of the inning. In Barton's half of the eighth, Webster hit a leadoff single to the pitcher before Hawke drew a walk to put two runners on with no outs.
King made a pitching change to reliever Michael Stophel, whose first pitch was thrown in the dirt and allowed both runners to move into scoring position. After King brought in a fifth infielder, Stophel threw his second pitch of the game in the dirt, allowing Webster to score from third and end the game with BC on top.
Webster was 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, while Pate was again 2-for-3 with an RBI of his own.
Barton and King will conclude the series tomorrow at Fleming Stadium with a single game scheduled for 2 p.m.
