SALISBURY, N.C. – The Barton softball team (1-3) split a doubleheader with Catawba (3-5) Saturday afternoon at Whitley Field. The Bulldogs fell in the first contest by an 11-6 score while salvaging the split with a victory in the nightcap, 10-4, for the first win under new mentor Melissa Shock.
Game One – Catawba 11, Barton 6
Catawba jumped out to a 6-0 advantage after three innings of play thanks to three home runs and never looked back in taking the first contest of the doubleheader. The Indians' Riley Tucker (Concord, N.C.) hit two of those round-trippers including a solo shot in the first inning to get things going for the home team.
Catawba's Savannah Beaver (Seagrove, N.C.) added a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning while Alexandra Baquie (Sanford, Fla.) improved to 2-2 on the season after picking up the victory on the mound.
For Barton, senior outfielder
Savannah Branch (Shallotte, N.C.) finished with a pair of hits and two runs batted in to lead the Bulldogs' offense while sophomore
Kierstin Cooper (Nashville, N.C.) (0-1) was tagged with the loss.
Game Two – Barton 10, Catawba 4
Barton sophomore designated hitter
Gracelyn Massey (Princeton, N.C.) hit a two-run home run and drove in three runs while junior
Miranda Holmes (Godwin, N.C.) (1-0) earned the win on the mound.
Barton freshman catcher
Katelyn Norris (Wilmington, N.C.) got things going for the Bulldogs with a two-run single in the first inning and the visitors never looked back in picking up their first win of the year. Catawba's Kary Hales (Salisbury, N.C.) drove in a pair of runs while Riley Tucker (Concord, N.C.) suffered the loss for the Indians.
Barton hosts Frostburg State (10:00 a.m.) and Virginia Union (12:30 p.m.) next Saturday, February 18, in its home opener while Catawba faces Belmont Abbey in Belmont, N.C., on Tuesday beginning at 1:00 p.m.
