Baseball Loses at Catawba in 12 Innings

SALISBURY, N.C. – The Lions baseball team lost a heart-breaker at South Atlantic Conference rival Catawba Friday night at Newman Park. Mars Hill lost 19-16 in 12 innings to Catawba in the series opening contest. The Lions fell to 22-11 overall and 7-6 in the league. Catawba improved to 18-11 on the season and 8-5 in the SAC.

Rayshelon Carolina led MHU at the plate going 4-4 with two RBI and a pair of runs scored. Dalton Eisenbath led the Lions with three RBI on two hits including a double. Brett Brubaker was 3-5 with a double, two RBI and the same number of runs scored. Dylan Powers and Hunter Merrill posted two hits and two RBI apiece in the contest. Drayden Williams suffered the loss (5-2) for Mars Hill on the mound pitching the final 5.1 innings in relief.

Logan Conley hit a two-run homerun in the top of the second inning to give Mars Hill an early lead. Catawba answered scoring three runs in the bottom half of the second inning on three hits highlighted by a two-run homerun from Dylan Richardson to take a 3-2 advantage.

Mars Hill scored six runs in the top of the third inning on three hits to take a lead 8-3 lead. Dalton Eisenbath hit a two-RBI double in the at-bat. Catawba cut into the Lions lead in the bottom of the third frame scoring three runs (8-6) on the same number of hits and one Lion miscue.

The Lions then exploded for seven runs on eight hits and one Catawba error in the top of the fourth inning to lead by nine runs (15-6). Evan Rogers belted a two-run homerun in the at-bat and Ray Carolina drove in a pair of runs hitting a single to right field. Catawba then scored three runs (15-9) in the bottom half of the fourth inning on one hit and one Lion error. With the bases loaded, Bryce Fowler hit a three-RBI double to account for the runs.

Jake Kimble hit a solo homerun in the fifth inning to bring Catawba within five runs of the Lions (15-10) before the Indians recorded three more runs in the sixth inning on four hits (15-13). Will Albertson hit a solo homerun to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning and then Zach Almond hit a two-run homerun with two outs to bring the Indians with two runs of the Lions.

A triple to center-field by Almond in the eighth inning plated Chance Bowden and Malachi Haynes to tie the contest at 15-all and send the contest into extra innings. Evan Rogers scored on a fielder's choice in the top of the twelfth inning to give the Lions a one-run advantage (16-15).

In the bottom of the twelfth inning with one out on the board, Fowler hit a grand slam homerun to lead Catawba to a 19-16 victory.

The teams will complete the three-game SAC series tomorrow with a double-header beginning at 1 p.m.