WILSON, N.C. – The Barton College Baseball Team (8-9, 4-5 Carolinas) defeated Emory & Henry College (7-12, 2-4 SAC) in non-conference play on Tuesday afternoon. The Bulldogs held off a late rally from the Wasps to take the 9-6 decision.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Barton 9, Emory & Henry 6
LOCATION – Wilson, North Carolina
VENUE – Nixon Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (7-12, 2-4 SAC); Barton (8-9, 4-5 Carolinas)
How It Happened
The Bulldogs drew first blood in the bottom of the first inning when John McNamee doubled to right field to score Tanner Halvorson to give them the 1-0 lead. Barton added another run in the home half of the second on an RBI single from Johnnie Lowery to make it 2-0. The home team pushed its advantage out to 3-0 in the third on an RBI groundout from McNamee.
E&H responded in the top of the sixth when fifth-year shortstop Mason Lyda (Mills River, N.C.) drew a leadoff walk, moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt from senior second baseman Noah Mazza (Plainfield, Ill.) and advanced to third on a single by junior third baseman Jared Foley (Sparta, N.C.). Lyda would score on an error by the Barton catcher and Foley would come around on an RBI single from reigning SAC Player of the Week senior centerfielder Tyler Bradley (Bessemer City, N.C.) to trim the deficit to 3-2.
The Bulldogs answered immediately in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run off the bat of Chase Waddell to increase their lead to 4-2. The home squad continued to add runs, as they scored one in the seventh on a hit by pitch with the bases loaded and pushed across another four in the eighth capped off by a two-RBI double from Ryan McIsaac to send the score to 9-2.
The Wasps would not go away quietly and mounted a rally in the ninth. Junior left fielder Wayne Mize (Salisbury, N.C.) doubled, junior first baseman Cole Cunningham (Wake Forest, N.C.) drew a walk and they both moved up on a passed ball. Fifth-year designated hitter Matthew Long (Willow Spring, N.C.) delivered a sacrifice fly to score Mize and make it 9-3. Senior catcher Camden Bailey (Sterling, Ill.) doubled and Lyda unloaded on the first pitch he saw, sending it over the fence to clear the bases and cut the Barton advantage to 9-6. The rally would come up short however and the Bulldogs escaped with the win.
Andrew Simone picked up the winning decision on the mound for Barton as he went five scoreless innings, only allowing two hits while striking out three batters. Junior right-hander Hunter Kirkpatrick (Albany, Ore.) took the loss for E&H, allowing three runs and five hits with two strikeouts over three innings. Mize led the offense with a pair of hits while Lyda had a team-high three RBI.
Up Next
Emory & Henry continues its Spring Break road trip on Wednesday against the Hawks of Chowan University. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Murfreesboro, North Carolina.
—E&H—