Staff report

NEWBERRY, S.C — Catawba’s baseball team finally got even with Newberry.

Newberry swept the Indians in a three-game series in the regular season, but Catawba beat Newberry twice to win the South Atlantic Conference Tournament.

The sixth meeting of the teams on Friday in the Southeast Regional was the biggest contest of all. Catawba won it emphatically, 7-0, to end Newberry’s season.

Host Newberry had lost earlier on Friday to Young Harris, 5-1, in the double-elimination sub-regional.

Catawba can win the sub-regional by beating Young Harris this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. If Young Harris defeats the Indians, the teams will have to play another game tonight to decide which team advances to the super regional.

Second-seeded Newberry finished 41-16. Third-seeded Catawba  is 44-12.

Hunter Shepherd pitched into the sixth inning for the Indians. He also helped himself with a two-run single in the first inning at the Smith Road Complex.

Shepherd’s first-inning single came after Heath Mitchem walked and Jeremy Simpson’s double moved Mitchem to third.

On the mound,  Shepherd had 1-2-3 innings in the third, fourth and fifth, and Catawba took pushed its lead to 4-0 in the fifth on run-scoring singles by Jackson Raper and Cameron Morrison.

Riley Myers relieved Shepherd in the sixth. Catawba tacked on three runs in the eighth to lead 7-0. DJ Laxton closed the game for Catawba.

Shepherd (7-4)  walked one and fanned seven. Myers struck out four.
Catawba got hits from eight different batters.

 

Catawba     200   020   030   — 7     9   0

Newberry   000  000   000  —   0    6    1

W — Shepherd (7-4). L — Josh Bookbinder (9-3).

Leading hitters — Catawba: Shepherd 2-for-5, 2 RBIs.