Catawba baseball swept at home by Sailfish

Published 11:36 pm Friday, February 9, 2018

SALISBURY — Palm Beach Atlantic swept a doubleheader from Catawba here Friday at Newman Park, 9-7 and 12-3.

The Sailfish (3-3) spoiled the Indians’ home opener with the sweep. Catawba lost its first five games of the season on the road — four on last weekend’s trip to Florida.

On Friday, Catawba was one strike away from winning the first game, as pitcher Riley Myers was trying to nail down a 7-6 win. However, PB Atlantic’s Riley Herold smacked a three-run homer for the eventual winning margin.

The Indians had built a 4-0 lead, behind a two-run homer from Kyle Smith and run-scoring singles from Joe Butts and Chance Bowden.

Catawba later took a 6-5 lead when Luke Setzer homered in the sixth inning, but the Sailfish tied the game on a homer from Kyle Simon. The Indians then went up, 7-6, in the seventh inning when Setzer scored on a wild pitch.

Catawba collected 10 hits in the first game, two each from Setzer, Smith, Cameron Morrison and Lee Poteat. Hunter Shepherd went five innings as the starting pitcher, allowing seven hits and five runs.

In the second game, Simon and Herold hit two-run homers in the first inning off of Catawba starter Sawyer Strickland and the Sailfish never looked back. A five-run fifth inning broke the game open.

Smith had three hits, including a triple, and Bowden had two hits for the Indians in Game 2.

The same two teams play again today at Newman Park, with the first pitch scheduled at 1 p.m.

Game 1

PB Atlantic     000  203  103 — 9   12   2

Catawba          202  011  100 —  7   10   3

WP — Tyler Hawkins (1-0).  LP — Riley Myers (0-2).

HR — PBA: Riley Herold, Kyle Simon; Catawba: Kyle Smith, Luke Setzer.

Game 2

PB Atlantic    400  251  000 — 12   14   2

Catawba         000  010  101 —   3    8    1

WP — Johnnie Schneider (1-1).  LP — Sawyer Stickland (0-1).

HR — PBA: Kyle Simon, Riley Herold, Hakeem Rhodes.