SALISBURY – Fourth-seeded UNC Pembroke rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to take the lead twice, but couldn't hold on late as top-seeded Catawba squeaked out a 5-4 victory in NCAA Southeast Regional action Friday night at Newman Park.
The Braves got a strong start from freshman
Jacob Smith, but Catawba rallied against the bullpen to pull out the victory.
Michael Dolberry II led the way offensively going 3-4, with a go-ahead solo homer in the eighth.
Ashton Donathan and
Kody O'Connor both went yard as well for the Black & Gold.
The Braves (43-13) had their ten-game win streak snapped, and fell to 33-30 in the all-time series against the Indians (41-15). The Black & Gold dropped just their second game in 39 tries this season when leading after six innings.
The Braves will be back in action Saturday, May 18, as they battle Young Harris. First pitch has been moved up to a noon start time due to impending weather in the area. The winner of that game will move on to a winner-take-all matchup with Catawba approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
| GAME SUMMARY |
| FINAL SCORE |
Catawba 5, UNC Pembroke 4 |
| PITCHERS |
WP: Mason Gwyn (9-1) LP: Chase Jernigan (3-2) Save: Hayden Simmerson (7) |
| RECORDS |
UNC Pembroke 43-13; Catawba 41-15 |
| KEY INNINGS |
| BOT 1 |
Bo Rusher's RBI single got the Indians on the board first, while Catawba added one more on a Braves error to make it 2-0. |
| TOP 4 |
Kody O'Connor cut the deficit in half with an opposite-field solo blast, his 19th of the year, to make it 2-1. |
| TOP 5 |
Andrew Jenner worked a 1-out walk and the Braves jumped ahead on Ashton Donathan's 2-run homer to make it 3-2. |
| BOT 7 |
Dylan Driver reached on an infield single and would eventually score on a 2-out wild pitch to tie the game back at 3-3. |
| TOP 8 |
Michael Dolberry II put the Black & Gold back in front 4-3 with a solo bomb. |
| BOT 8 |
Catawba's Levi Perrell tied the game with an RBI single, before Ty Hubbard beat a throw home from a drawn-in UNCP infield to give the hosts the lead for good. |
| UNCP LEADERS |
CAT LEADERS |
Michael Dolberry II 3-4, HR, RBI
Ashton Donathan 1-3, HR, 2 RBI
Kody O'Connor 1-3, HR, RBI
Jacob Smith 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 K
|
Cooper Bryson 3-4
Sam Hunter 2-4
Bo Rusher III 1-3, RBI
Mason Gwyn W, 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, K |
| UP NEXT |
| The Braves will be back in action Saturday, May 18, as they battle Young Harris. First pitch has been moved up to a noon start time due to impending weather in the area. The winner of that game will move on to a winner-take-all matchup with Catawba approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. |
| BACK THE BRAVES |
| Fans can help support the UNC Pembroke Baseball program by joining the Braves Club, or by making a gift directly to the program. To find out more information about the Braves Club, visit UNCPBraves.com/BravesClub or email braves.club@uncp.edu. To make a monetary gift, visit UNCPBraves.com/Give and indicate "baseball team" in notes section. |
