GASTONIA, N.C. – The Barton baseball team (30-18) shut out Belmont Abbey (37-15), 9-0, in its opening game of the 2023 Conference Carolinas Championship Thursday afternoon at CaroMont Health Park.
The Bulldogs, seeded second in the tournament, will now face third-seeded UNC Pembroke (37-13) on Friday at 7:00 p.m., in a winner's bracket contest. The Braves, ranked No. 19 in NCAA Division II, took down fourth-seeded Mount Olive (32-15) in 10 innings by a 5-4 score in the first game of the day.
Barton junior
Tanner Halvorson (Eau Claire, Wisc.), the reigning Conference Carolinas Pitcher of the Week and Year, improved to 11-2 on the season after throwing a six-hit shutout. Halvorson struck out eight batters for his 10th complete game of the season. Halvorson also ran his winning streak to 10 games.
Barton was powered by three home runs courtesy of junior outfielders
Carelle Gonzalez (Bridgeton, N.J.),
Raymond Paniagua (Blue Springs, Mo.) and
Joshua Hoffman (Belle Vernon, Pa.). Paniagua hit a three-run home run while Gonzalez's round-tripper was his team-leading 13th of the season, both coming in a four-run fifth frame. Hoffman, meanwhile, finished with two runs scored, three hits and two runs batted in.
For Belmont Abbey, Ethan Wilson (Waxhaw, N.C.) fell to 5-3 with the setback. Barton also improved to 4-0 against the Crusaders this year. Belmont Abbey, the fifth seed, will take on the loser of sixth-seeded Francis Marion and top-seeded North Greenville on Friday at 11:00 a.m., in an elimination game.
