Baseball Splits with #12 Catawba

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Lions split a South Atlantic Conference baseball double-header with Catawba College at Greenwood Field on the UNC Asheville campus. Mars Hill beat the Indians, ranked 12^th in the country, 6-4 in the first game and then dropped the nightcap, 10-1. The Lions took their season record to 17-19 overall and 6-15 in the league. The Indians are now 32-9 on the season and 20-5 in the conference.

Game 1: MHU 6, Catawba 4

Dalton Eisenbath went 3-4 with two RBI to lead MHU at the plate. Lance Edwards was 2-4 with a run scored. Alex Zachary had a pinch hit RBI double as well. Chandler Young picked up the win (3-0) pitching 1.1 innings in relief. Andy Runion started the game and threw 6.2 innings scattering eight hits while striking out five batters. Kaleb McCurry obtained his third save on the year throwing the final inning.

Will Albertson led Catawba going 3-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. Bryan Blanton suffered the loss (1-1) throwing 0.1 innings in relief.

Blake Houston scored on a fielder's choice in the Indians first at-bat to give Catawba a 1-0 lead. The Lions then scored three runs in the third inning on the same number of hits to take a 3-1 advantage. Eisenbath had a two-RBI single in the frame while Dylan Powers drew a bases loaded walk to account for the other RBI.

Albertson singled to right-center field to drive in Houston and cut the Lions' lead to 3-2 after the Indians fifth at-bat. A RBI single up the middle by Houston sent Bryce Fowler home and tied the contest at 3-all in the seventh inning.

After Albertson doubled to lead off the eighth inning, he later put Catawba ahead 4-3 after Dylan Richardson hit a double. The Lions answered scoring three runs in the bottom half of the inning on four hits. Alex Zachary hit a pinch hit double to right-center field to score the tying run and then Josh Sereno pinch hit and found an open seam up the middle to plate Zachary and Tommy Scala for the game winning scores.

Kaleb McCurry threw the final inning for the Lions and allowed just one hit and no runs to help seal the two-run victory for the Lions.

Game 2: Catawba 10, MHU 1

Eisenbath went 2-3 to lead the Lions offensively in game two. Scala was 1-2 with an RBI. Alec Bivens suffered the loss (2-2) on the mound throwing four innings.

Shaefer Shepard threw a complete game scattering six hits and one run while striking out seven batters to record his eighth win (8-2) on the season. He walked only one batter and allowed only a single extra base hit. T.J. Wharton hit two homeruns over the center field fence to account for half of the Indians runs. Luke Setzer was 2-3 with two RBI.

The Indians put two runs on the board in the second inning on three hits and one Lion miscue. A Setzer single scored Chance Bowden to give the Indians a 3-0 lead. Scala then singled to right field to send Eisenbath to the plate for the Lions only score of the contest.

Catawba added four runs in the fifth inning highlighted by a two-run homer from Wharton. In the Indians last at-bat Wharton belted another long ball over the center field fence to bring in three runs and make the final tally 10-1 in favor of the visitors.

The teams will meet for a single game tomorrow at Greenwood Field to complete the three-game set. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.