By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
WINGATE ó Catawba third baseman Craige Lyerly is so hot he apologized for his 5-for-5 effort in Thursday’s first round of the SAC tournament.
“I just talked to Lyerly, and he said it was a really terrible 5-for-5,” winning pitcher Blake Ketner said with a laugh. “But 5-for-5? I think you’ve got to take that any day.”
Lyerly, a 2006 graduate of East Rowan, learned Wednesday night he’d earned a split of the SAC Player of the Year Award with Wingate’s Matt Letchworth.
His new-found celebrity didn’t phase him. He slapped three singles, hit two doubles and stole two bases as second-seeded Catawba banged out 21 hits in a 13-4 romp over No. 5 seed Newberry. Lyerly’s teammates were eager to point out ó jokingly, of course ó that he almost contributed two errors to the cause.
The junior’s single in the first inning extended his hitting streak to 27 games. He’s chasing Big Earl Lentz’s school-record of 33 that was set 53 years ago. Lyerly is batting .618 in his last seven games and .458 for the season.
“I’ve been hot a few times before, but I’ve always cooled down,” Lyerly said. “This time it’s going on a little longer.”
A pair of freshmen ó left fielder Cameron White (4-for-4) and second baseman Corey Parker (2-for-2) ó also enjoyed perfect days at the plate, while All-SAC catcher Ryan Query smacked his daily home run ó his 16th.
Joining in the fun were Chris Ahearn (3-for-6), Zeb Link (2-for-4), Kevin McMillan (2-for-5) and Brett Hatley (two RBIs).
Catawba won easily with Ketner, a horse for four seasons, on the mound. The All-SAC right-hander bumped his season mark to 9-3. He’s 28-15 in an outstanding career.
Ketner allowed two runs and four hits in the first inning. After that, he was untouchable until the eighth.
“I always seem to start out with some first-inning jitters, but it was good to be able to turn things around,” Ketner said. “I made a few adjustments, and it’s very easy to pitch when your teammates are getting 21 hits.”
A lot of those hits came in the bottom of the second. That was the pivotal frame. Trailing 2-0, Catawba had two out and two on with Parker, the No. 9 hitter, at the plate. Newberry was a strike away from ending the inning, but Parker served a soft fly to left. It dropped and got a run in.
That turned over the lineup and gave Lyerly, the leadoff man, a chance. He poked a two-run double down the right-field line for the lead.
“I just got lucky all day,” said Lyerly, who had three bouncing singles and two soft doubles. “I was looking for an outside curveball, and he threw it. I kinda popped it up, but it was right down the line.”
Hatley’s opposite-field double made it 4-2. Query’s single gave the Indians a 5-2 edge.
“We were lucky to hit some balls in the right spots to get on the board,” Catawba coach Jim Gantt said. “The other side of that is guys did a good job hitting with two strikes.”
Link’s booming double that missed being a homer by inches triggered a two-run third. With Ketner pitching, it was obvious a 7-2 lead was going to be enough, but the Indians steadily tacked on. Query stroked his homer to the opposite field in the seventh.
Every win is important for the Indians, ranked sixth in the regional poll. Six teams make the regional, including the SAC tournament winner.
“Polls are like umpires ó you can’t do anything about ’em, so you just go out and play,” Gantt said. “I do know we didn’t need to come down here, play two and go home.”
And Lyerly?
“Guess he’s livin’ right,” Gantt said. “Everything he hits finds a hole.”
Catawba (31-15) advanced to play No. 3 seed Mars Hill (27-18) tonight at 7:30 p.m.
31-15