Jim Gantt recognized for 1000 career wins.

 

Staff report

SALISBURY — Starting pitchers Austin Fine and Payne Stolsworth keyed another South Atlantic Conference series win for the Catawba Indians over the weekend.

Catawba (16-6, 9-3) took two out of three against Coker (15-8, 5-4).

Finally back home at Newman Park, the Indians won 3-0 behind Fine (3-1) on Friday and prevailed 9-0 behind Stolsworth (4-1) in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. The Cobras bounced back for a 5-1 victory in the series finale.

Catawba was home for the first time since head coach Jim Gantt got his 1,000th career win on a road trip.

Ranked 11th in Division II, Catawba is 7-2 at home and welcomes UNC Pembroke to Newman Park on Tuesday.

Fine pitched into the eighth inning on Friday, and the bullpen got the last four outs. Hayden Simmerson (Carson) earned his fifth save with a scoreless ninth.

Cole Hales (Carson) got a big hit early to key the offense. Hales, Dylan Drover (Carson) and Ty Hubbard (South Rowan) had two hits each.

Stolsworth (West Rowan) enjoyed heavy run support and shut out Coker for eight innings.

Nathan Chrismon (South Rowan) had three hits and three RBIs. while Parker Styborski had had three hits and two RBIs. James Dunlap tripled. Cooper Bryson knocked in two.

Coker scored four runs in the third inning to salvage the third game of the series. Dunlap had the only RBI for the Indians, while Hubbard’s double was the only extra-base hit.

Casey Gouge (West Rowan) was knocked out in that big third inning and fell to 3-2.