COLLEGE BASEBALL: CVCC wins 2 on Monday, runs win streak to 4 games

Patrick, Bender toss 1-hitters as Red Hawks improve to 12-8

HobbsDailyReport.com

Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) swept a doubleheader on Monday, running its baseball win streak to four games.

The Red Hawks won 10-0 in five innings and 9-4 in seven innings over the Limestone College junior varsity in Gaffney, S.C.

CVCC’s streak started over the weekend with victories over Wake Tech on the road, including a 12-10 decision on Sunday.

The Red Hawks (14-8) next play a road conference series against Bryant & Stratton in Virginia Beach, Va., starting with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Game 3 is Sunday at noon.

CVCC 10, Limestone JVs 0, 5 inn.

Behind a one-hitter by starter Andrew Patrick, the Red Hawks earned a run-rule victory in the opening game on Monday.

CVCC had only five hits but capitalized on 10 walks — scoring 10 or more runs for the third straight game.

The Red Hawks scored one run in the first inning, two in the second inning, four in the third inning and three in the fourth inning.

Third baseman Grant Tilley led the Red Hawks with three RBIs, including a solo home run to left field in the second inning, while right fielder Malik Stephens drove in two runs and shortstop Mason Lyda drove in one.

Patrick kept the Saints off balance, walking one and striking out eight during a four-inning, one-hit outing.

Elijah Carr relieved Patrick in the fifth inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced.

CVCC 9, Limestone JVs 4, 7 inn.

The Red Hawks overcame an early 2-0 hole, scoring four runs each in the third and fifth innings to complete a sweep.

Limestone scored once in each of the first two innings, including on an RBI single by James Rowe in the first inning and a solo home run by Dustin West in the second inning.

CVCC roared back in the third inning, scoring four runs on RBI singles — one each by Brett Eurey, Sabion Thomas, Vinny Consolo and Stephens.

John Stabb’s solo home run helped pull Limestone back within 4-3, but CVCC answered by scoring in the next half-inning on an RBI ground out by Ryan Healy.

The Red Hawks padded their lead in the fifth inning, scoring on an RBI single by Jamie Sheek. Consolo and Stephens also scored on wild pitches in the inning, and Healy stole home on a double steal attempt.

West homered for the second time off Red Hawks reliever Noah Eaker.

CVCC 12, Wake Tech 10 (Sunday)

The Red Hawks had 14 hits to win the third game of a weekend series in Holly Springs.

CVCC scored three runs in the top of the first inning on an RBI triple from Jackson Brown, an RBI fielder’s choice from Thomas and an RBI single by Trent Jones for a 3-0 lead.

Wake Tech (11-5, 1-2) answered with seven runs on five hits in the bottom of the first inning, including a two-run single by Evan Balzano and two-RBI doubles by Kevin Catrine and Tyler Vaughn.

CVCC scored three runs again in the second inning — including an RBI double by R.J. Conner and a two-RBI double by Willie Gordon — before regaining a lead with two runs in the top of the third inning on a two-run home run by Eurey.

After Red Hawks starting pitcher Trae Starnes exited in the first inning, CVCC relievers Timothy Davila, Myles White and Nic Messina forced Wake Tech to strand at least one runner in eight of the Eagles’ nine innings.

CVCC first baseman Tyler Campbell hit a solo home run to right field – his second home run of the season — in the top of the fourth inning, making it 9-7 CVCC.

The Eagles tied it at 9 in the fifth inning via an RBI single by Vaughn and an RBI sacrifice fly from Austin Bulman.

Tilley gave the Red Hawks a leadin the sixth inning on a two-run single, making it an 11-9.

Wake Tech pulled within 11-10 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Radim Novotny scored on a wild pitch by White, but the Red Hawks scored on a wild pitch by the Eagles in the top of the seventh inning for a two-run lead.

White and Messina helped close the door on any potential comeback for Wake Tech in the final three innings.

White struck out the Eagles’ in order in the seventh inning, and Messina closed out the final two innings by allowing one hit, striking out four and stranding the tying runs on first and second base in the ninth inning to earn his third save.

CVCC 10, Wake Tech 0, 5 inn. (Saturday)

Behind starting pitcher Logan Bender’s one-hitter and a 10-hit game, CVCC won the second game on Saturday.

CVCC touched Wake Tech starting pitcher Jackson Keene for two runs in the first inning on a two-RBI single by Thomas.

The Red Hawks’ biggest inning was in the second when they scored seven runs on five hits. That included a bases-clearing triple by Eurey, an RBI double by Brown and an RBI single from Campbell that made it 9-0.

Bender struck out at least two batters in each of his five innings, recording all three outs by strikeout in the second and fifth innings.

Thomas added the game’s final run in the top of the fourth inning on a solo home run that bounced back on to the playing surface after hitting the light pole in left field.

Bender finished with a season-high 12 strikeouts and no walks and earned his third win of the season.

Wake Tech 5, CVCC, 9 inn. (Saturday)

An RBI double by left fielder Tommy Perrin in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the Eagles a thrilling walk-off victory during the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday.

Jones gave CVCC a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning, scoring R.J. Conner on an RBI fielder’s choice.

Wake Tech answered in the bottom of the second inning with its only hit off Red Hawks starting pitcher Blake Dockery — a two-out, two-RBI double by Andrew Vogler — to take its first lead, 2-1.

CVCC regained a lead by scoring one run each in the fifth and sixth innings.

Brown’s ground out in the top of the fifth inning scored Rod Munoz, and Gordon delivered a solo home run to left field in the sixth inning, giving CVCC a 3-2 advantage.

The Eagles tied it again in the eighth inning, scoring on an RBI single by Austin Bulman, who scored Tyler Vaughan to make it a 3-all.

Conner scored from third base on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth inning to put the Red Hawks ahead 4-3.

But an RBI single from Catrine set the table for Perrin’s RBI double that rolled all the way to the base of the wall in right field to score Catrine with the winning run.

Dockery allowed just one hit, two earned runs, three walks and struck out eight in his six-inning no decision appearance. Reliever Greg Collins took the loss.

— Reported by CVCC Sports Information