College baseball: Bears beat Catawba to set up Saturday showdown

Staff report

SALISBURY — South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year Mackenzie Wainwright pounded out four hits to lead Lenoir-Rhyne’s baseball team to a 6-3 Super Regional win against Catawba on Friday night at Newman Park.

Lenoir-Rhyne had 12 hits, including nine against Catawba starting pitcher Casey Gouge, who was knocked out in the fourth.

Catawba had seven hits.

Lenoir-Rhyne scored twice in the first inning.

Catawba tied it 2-all in the second when Hunter Atkins and Nathan Chrismon walked, advanced on Sean Shelly’s bunt and scored on Matthew Connolly’s single.

Cole Stanford’s two-run homer in the third was the biggest swing of the game and gave the Bears (46-14) a 4-2 lead.

It was 6-2 before the Indians (46-13) got one run closer in the seventh. Ty Hubbard walked, moved to third on Dylan Driver’s double and scored on James Dunlap’s sac fly.

It was a win-or-go-home outing for the 16th-ranked Bears, who rose to the occasion and beat the fourth-ranked Indians for the second time in six meetings. Catawba had a 16-game winning streak stopped.

Now both teams have seasons on the brink. The best-of-three series will come down to Saturday night at 6 p.m. at Newman Park, with Austin Fine expected to throw the first pitch for the Indians. Catawba won’t hesitate to use closer Hayden Simmerson earlier than usual, if he’s needed. The loser will pack up the uniforms. The winner will advance to the Division II Championships in Cary.

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