SMITH
HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY – On a historic day that saw one program record tied and another shattered, 15th-ranked Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) swept a baseball doubleheader against visiting New River Community College on Saturday.
The Red Hawks (38-14, 17-7 in Region X) won the first game 6-1 in nine innings against the Muskies (6-43-1, 0-23) before taking the second game 5-1 in seven innings.
CVCC’s Justin Smith picked up his eighth win of the year in the first game, tying the school record for single-season wins, and Cory Watt had a stolen base in the second game that set a new CVCC record for most in a career and in a season.
The third and final game of the series is Sunday, a nine-inning game, is also at the Legion Fairgrounds’ Henkely-Alley Field.
WATT
Admission is free.
CVCC 6, New River CC 1
Behind dominant pitching by Smith and two RBI each from Jimmy Marcelli and Brett Macchia, the Red Hawks won the opening game of the series.
Smith struck out 11 and allowed two hits, no walks and no runs to pick up his eighth victory of the season and tie Cole Whitney (2017) for the most single-season wins by a CVCC hurler.
Marcelli drove in the game’s first two runs on a sacririce fly in the third inning and a single in the fifth inning. Both plays scored Cody Payne, who drove in the game’s third run in the sixth inning on a single to right field.
CVCC third baseman Graham Mitchell connected on his team-leading 10th home run of the season in the bottom of the seventh inning, extending the Red Hawks’ lead to 4-0.
A single by New River’s Wilson Ey in the top of the eighth inning broke up CVCC’s bid for a shutout, but the Red Hawks managed to snuff out any potential comeback bid by the Muskies.
Hunter Isaacs relieved Smith in the seventh inning, and Isaacs and Connor Hewell closed out the game’s final three innings, allowing a three hits, one earned run and striking out three.
Macchia capped off the game’s scoring by connecting on his second home run of the season and first at home in the bottom of the eighth inning.
CVCC 5, New River 1
Mitchell went 3-for-3 at with three RBIs and pitcher Harry Hatcher allowed just two hits, one walk and struck out five to lead the Red Hawks to a four-run victory.
Mitchell’s two-run single in the bottom of the first inning gave CVCC an early 2-0 lead, and he added an RBI double in the third inning that scored Garrison Burress. David Graves followed suit in the third inning, scoring Mitchell on a single to right field.
With two outs in the fourth inning, Watt drove in a run on an RBI double and stole third base, breaking the all-time career (38) and single-season (33) stolen base records set by Ty Andrus (2015-16).
The Muskies broke up the shutout bid in the top of the seventh inning on an RBI groundout from Logan Beamer, but got no closer.
Hatcher exited five innings, and Red Hawks relief pitchers Will Angel and Greg Collins closed out the final two innings. They allowed one hit, one earned run and walked three.
— Reported by CVCC Sports Information