Related: Baseball Slips Five Spots To No. 16 In NCBWA Top 25 Poll
SALISBURY –
Hayden Buffkin and
Nick Debo hit back-to-back home runs to highlight a 3-run fifth inning for the 16
th-ranked UNC Pembroke baseball team, but 21
st-ranked Catawba hung 10 runs on the board in the first two frames on the way to a 15-11, weather-shortened victory over the Braves on Wednesday at Newman Park.
The setback marked the first road loss of the season for the Braves (12-3) who had their two-game series win streak snapped as well. It was the ninth-straight victory for the Indians (11-3) who have not tasted defeat in more than three weeks.
The game was called with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh due to severe weather that had moved into the area.
Debo walked once and hit a pair of home runs on a 3-for-3 day at the plate to lead the Braves, while Buffkin hit his team-leading fifth four-bagger of the season to highlight a 2-for-4 performance.
River Ryan (3-for-4) doubled and recorded his first collegiate home run, while fellow freshman
Jarratt Mobley walked, singled and doubled on a perfect 3-for-3 hitting line.
Chance Bowden fueled a perfect 5-for-5 day at the plate with three doubles to pace the hosts, who also got a 4-for-5 performance from Jeremy Simpson. Malachi Hanes doubled twice to earmark a 3-for-5 outing as well.
Jesse Stinnett (2-1) gave up nine runs (seven earned) on nine hits in just 1-1/3 innings from the hill to take the loss for UNCP. Bryan Ketchie (3-0) notched his team-best third victory of the season for the Indians despite allowing eight hits and five earned runs in five innings of work. He also struck out six.
Catawba scored six in the first and four more in the second to forge an early 10-1 lead, but the Braves whittled away at their deficit and eventually got to within a pair of scores after plating five runs in the seventh.
The Black & Gold will open up the Peach Belt Conference portion of its 2017 schedule this weekend when it hosts Columbus State (7-6, 3-0 PBC) in a three-game series at Sammy Cox Field. The squads will open up the weekend with a 4 p.m. first pitch on Friday, and will continue the series with single games on Saturday (3 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) as well.
