HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY – Lenoir-Rhyne University — coming off a 0-3 weekend against powerful Catawba – helps the Hickory Crawdads start their season on Monday night with an exhibition game at 6:30 p.m. at L.P. Frans Stadium.
LRU SCHEDULE: https://lrbears.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball
SAC STANDINGS: https://www.thesac.com/sports/bsb/2018-19/standings
Admission at Frans is free as fans get their first chance to see the 2019 Crawdads, a Class A affiliate of the Texas Rangers.
The Bears (16-20) fell three times in South Atlantic Conference (SAC) games at home over the weekend with Catawba (30-8) winning 10-5 in 13 innings on Friday night and 13-2 and 10-6 in nine innings on Saturday.
Catawba 10, LRU 6, 9 inn. (Saturday)
The Bears had an early 4-2 lead but Catawba ralled and won in extra innings in the second game on Saturday.
Matthew Freeman, Chase Jeffries and Alex Reynolds led LRU with two hits each and Hunter Jackson drove in four runs.
LRU used seven pitchers with Jake Conroy starting. He gave up five runs in four innings but Brett Fulk took the loss after giving up three runs (two earned) on three hits while pitching one inning.
Peyton Williams pitched the eighth inning and got a win for Catawba.
Catawba 13, LRU 2 (Saturday)
Sawyer Strickland gave up two runs, scattering nine hits over seven innings, to improve to 5-1 as the Indians swept a three-games series.
Jeremy Simpson went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs and Jackson Raper had two hits, scored twice and drove in three runs for Catawba.
Will Jones and Jeffries each had two hits for LRU and Jeffries and Freeman each drove in a run.
Paul Hall worked 4 2/3 innings as the Bears’ starter, striking out 10, and took a loss. He gave up five hits, six runs (two earned) with three walks. He has 64 strikeouts this season, third in the SAC, and has at least nine strikeouts in his last four outings.
Catawba 10, LRU 5, 13 inn. (Friday)
Hunter Shepherd hit a grand slam as part of a five-run 13th inning as Catawba won the first game of the series.
LRU had 10 hits, with Freeman going 3-for-5, and Dalton Putnam and Jackson each added two hits. Jeffries had two RBIs.
Bears starter Alex Shirazi went 6 2/3 innings, giving up eight hits and five runs while walking two and striking out three.
Riley Myers (5-0) got a win for Catawba, giving up one hit over the final four innings.
Shirazi retired the first 10 batters he faced and did not allow a hit until the fourth inning.
- Reported by LRU Sports Information