From staff reports
Chris Ahearn’s two-out single in the 10th inning lifted Catawba’s baseball team to a 6-3 SAC victory at Brevard on Sunday. Craige Lyerly (East Rowan) followed with a two-run double for insurance.
Catawba (28-15, 16-4) trailed 3-1 after six innings, but Ryan Query (A.L. Brown) tied the game with a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh.
Nathan Furr shut down Brevard over the final four innings, allowing just three hits and striking out seven.
Lyerly, Query and Josh Hohn had two hits each for Catawba. Lyerly extended his hitting streak to 24 games and is batting .549 the last 12 games.
– SAC tournaments
Tusculum, ranked 12th nationally, is the top seed for the SAC baseball tournament that begins Thursday at Wingate. No. 2 seed Catawba plays No. 5 Newberry (17-21) at 3:45 p.m.
Double-elimination play continues Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
All-Tournament tickets are available at the gate for $12 for adults and $6 for children and students. Daily ticket prices are $6 and $3.
* The SAC softball tournament starts Thursday at Lenoir-Rhyne. No. 5 Catawba plays No. 4 Newberry at 10 a.m.
– Minor leagues
The Kannapolis Intimidators were rained out at Bowling Green Sunday and will play a doubleheader tonight.
* Spencer Steedley (East Rowan) has been called out of the bullpen often by Ft. Myers and helped the Miracle beat St. Lucie 4-2 on Sunday. Steedley retired all five batters he faced and had one strikeout.
– Prep sports
Tonight’s Carson-South Rowan soccer match is a special Relay for Life event. Teams will wear pink, white and purple.
* South Rowan’s baseball team plays a makeup NPC game at Northwest Cabarrus tonight.
– College golf
UNC Greensboro’s Lauren Smith (Salisbury) shot a first-round 77 on Sunday and helped the Spartans tie for fourth in the opening round of the Southern Conference Women’s Golf Championship at Moss Creek.
Smith overcame a triple-bogey on No. 12 to shoot 5-over. She closed her round on a roll with birdies on No. 17 and No. 18.
* Virginia’s Will Collins (Salisbury) shot 83-66-70 ó 219 and finished 24th in the ACC Championships held in New London.
– College tennis
Catawba’s men suffered 5-4 SAC losses to Lincoln Memorial (Saturday) and Brevard (Sunday) to close the regular season. Uri Yarkoni won both his singles matches for the Indians.
The Indians (11-10, 2-6) are the No. 8 seed for the SAC tournament.
* Catawba’s women closed the regular season hot by beating Lincoln Memorial 5-4 (Saturday) and topping Newberry 8-1 (Sunday).
Steffi Cook won twice in singles and doubles to pace Catawba (11-9, 3-5).n College baseball
Appalachian State’s Nick Daniels (NW Cabarrus) retired all five batters he faced in a 6-4 win against College of Charleston on Sunday.
* Whit Merrifield (Davie) scored twice as South Carolina beat Auburn 10-4 on Sunday.
* Daniel Wagner (South Rowan) drove in three runs for Belmont in a 10-9 win against Stetson on Sunday.
* Belmont Abbey beat Erskine 10-5 and 7-2 Sunday to win its first Conference Carolinas tournament and earned an automatic regional berth.
* UNC finished off a sweep of Miami with a 4-1 victory on Sunday.