Trae Starnes had a dominating outing on Sunday even though Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) ended up falling 3-2 against Southeastern Community College at the Legion Fairgrounds. He struck out 14, tying the school record for most strikeouts in a game./CODY DALTON, CATAWBA VALLEY ATHLETICS
HobbsDailyReport.com
NEWTON – A three-run home run by Trent McKay, coming after an intentional walk, sent Southeastern Community College past Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) 3-2 in baseball on Sunday at the Legion Fairgrounds.
CVCC SCHEDULE: http://gocvcc.com/sports/bsb/2018-19/schedule
The home run negated dominating pitching by left-hander Trae Starnes for the Red Hawks (24-15, 10-7) after he went seven innings, allowing three hits, walking two and matching a school-record for single game strikeouts with 14.
CVCC lost two of three games in the series with Southeastern and will next play on Wednesday, a home doubleheader against USC Lancaster that begins at 5 p.m. at Henkel-Alley Field.
The Red Hawks left 12 base runners stranded in Sunday’s loss.
CVCC broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning when Rod Munoz reached on an error that scored Grant Tilley, who had walked.
Starnes, a sophomore from Taylorsville, left after the seventh inning and Southeastern rallied against reliever Timothy Davila.
Ted McNeill drew a walk and A.J. Brooks was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning before CVCC got a ground ball off the bat of Gage Hammonds and turned a double play.
After catcher Riley Cameron was intentionally walked, McKay hit his home run to deep left-center.
CVCC 4, Southeastern 2, 7 inn. (Saturday)
CVCC had two hits but rallied with three runs over the final two innings to win Saturday’s second game.
The Red Hawks scored in the first inning on a single by Sabion Thomas that scored R.J. Conner.
Southeastern had two runs, both unearned, in the third inning to go in front 2-1.
CVCC starter Logan Bender limited the Rams to six hits and walked one in six inning, striking out 10.
Down 2-1 in the fifth inning, Munoz provided a late spark by drawing a leadoff walk before scoring on back-to-back errors to tie it at 2.
Four batters later, Thomas scored the go-ahead run via a sacrifice fly that scored Conner from third base.
Tilley walked in the sixth inning and scored by advancing on three straight wild pitches to add an insurance run for CVCC.
Davila relieved Bender (6-0) in the seventh inning, striking out three to earn his first save of the season.
Southeastern 4, CVCC 3, 9 inn. (Saturday)
CVCC starter Blake Dockery tied the single-game strikeout record with 14, but the Rams won by capitalizing on three unearned runs and a bases-loaded walk.
The Red Hawks scored three runs in the fourth inning, two on a double by Thomas and the other on a single by Tyler Campbell.
Dockery had eight strikeouts through the first four innings and tied his own school record – set March 2 – of 14Ks in a game.
The Rams scored three unearned runs in the seventh inning, one on a wild pitch by Dockery, to tie it at 3.
Southeastern had the bases loaded in the eighth inning and a walk to Drew Loving scored Cameron with the eventual game-winning run.
J.O. Oxendine threw a complete game for the Rams, allowing seven hits, three runs (all earned) with one walk and seven strikeouts.
— Reported by CVCC Sports Information