College baseball: Catawba wins Super Regional opener

Staff report

SALISBURY — Lenoir-Rhyne’s baseball team led early, but Catawba used a four-run fourth inning to rally past the Bears 7-3 in Game 1 of the Southeast Super Regional on Thursday night.

A crowd of 810 looked on with approval at Newman Park.

Fourth-ranked Catawba (46-12) has won 16 in a row and has won four out of five this season against the strong Bears (46-13). The Indians will need one more victory — either Friday night or Saturday night to advance to the Division II Championships in Cary.

The teams are an interesting contrast. Lenoir-Rhyne, ranked 16th nationally, has a pile of power and has three All-America hitters in the lineup.

Catawba has two All-America pitchers in Payne Stolsworth (12-2) and closer Hayden Simmerson and used both of them to win on Thursday.

South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year Mackenzie Wainwright socked his 25th homer in the third inning off Stolsworth to give the Bears a 2-1 lead.

But Catawba put together that big fourth inning to turn the game around. James Dunlap’s double started it. Sam Hunter was just trying to sacrifice Dunlap to third, but when his bunt was thrown away, Dunlap scored and the Indians seized the opportunity for a big inning.

Cole Hales doubled to score Hunter with a go-ahead run.

Productive groundouts by Hunter Atkins and Nathan Chrismon moved Hales around the bases for a 4-2 lead. Cooper Bryson’s double extended the inning. Matthew Connolly’s double made it 5-2.

Stolsworth with a three-run lead is pretty automatic. He hurled eight innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out four.

Catawba made it 6-2 in the fifth when Dylan Driver scored on a wild pitch. L-R cut it to 6-3 in the sixth. Catawba added an insurance run in the eighth when Hales scored on Bryson’s sac fly.

Simmerson relieved Stolsworth for the ninth and allowed a pair of two-out singles, but he struck out a pinch-hitter to end the game.

Catawba had nine hits, including five doubles. Hales had two hits.

First pitch on Friday is at 6 p.m.

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