HICKORY, N.C. — The 17th-ranked Catawba Valley Community College baseball team earned a milestone win on Wednesday afternoon, recording the program's 350th victory in a doubleheader split against the visiting Montreat JV team at Henkel-Alley Field.
The Red Hawks' record this season now stands at 20-11 overall.
Game one: No. 17 Catawba Valley 9, Montreat JV 2
CVCC scored eight runs in the game's first three innings, seizing control early en route to a seven-run victory against the Cavaliers during the opening contest of the two-game set on Wednesday.
After Montreat took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on an RBI single by Ethan MacDuffie, the Red Hawks answered the score in the bottom half of the frame, tying the game on an RBI double by first baseman Sabion Thomas.
The Red Hawks gained a lead they did not surrender in the bottom of the second inning, scoring four runs on two hits, including an RBI single by center fielder Rod Munoz.
Also during the inning, CVCC shortstop Mason Lyda drove in a run on an RBI sac fly, catcher Cole Chapman scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch and third baseman Grant Tilley brought in a run after being hit with a bases-load wild pitch to make it a 5-1 lead for the home team through two complete innings.
The Cavaliers answered by scoring an unearned run in the top of the third inning on an error, but the Red Hawks would once again add to their lead with a pair of run-scoring doubles to left field — a two-run double by Munoz and a one-run double by left fielder Jackson Brown.
Catawba Valley starting pitcher Chris Banks and relief pitcher Myles White held Montreat batters at bay, allowing a combined seven hits, two runs (one earned), two walks and striking out 11. White, who replaced Banks in the fourth inning, earned the victory to improve to 3-0 on the season.
The Red Hawks added the final run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning on an RBI single by Chapman, and White retired three of the four batters he faced in the seventh inning to secure CVCC's 20th victory on the diamond this season.
Game two: Montreat JV 4, Catawba Valley 1
The Cavaliers capitalized on two Red Hawk errors and timely hitting in the mid-to-late innings to earn the split in the doubleheader finale on Wednesday afternoon.
Both teams remained deadlocked through three complete innings with the only base runner coming on a second-inning single by CVCC right fielder Vinny Consolo.
Montreat broke out of its early-game slump in the fourth inning, plating two runs. Cavs second baseman Noah Medina reached first base on an error, which allowed shortstop Erwing Hernandez, who led off the inning with a walk and stolen base, to score.
First baseman Alejandro Gato gave the Cavaliers their first hit of the game during the fourth inning — an RBI double that scored Medina to make it a 2-0 lead for Montreat.
Catawba Valley would get a runner on base in each of the fourth and fifth innings, but could not capitalize, opening the door for Montreat to add the final two runs to its lead in the sixth inning.
Gato reached base on an error, which allowed Medina to score, and designated hitter Cody Colding singled to right field, allowing Gato to come across home plate and make it a 4-0 advantage for Montreat.
The Red Hawks broke up the shutout bid in the bottom of the seventh inning when pinch hitter Jackson Brown plated first baseman Tyler Campbell, who led off the inning with a walk.
Despite the one-out rally, Cavs starting pitcher Seth Bevans was able to forced the game-ending double play to seal his team's victory. Bevans allowed just four hits, one earned run, two walks and struck out seven batters to pick up the victory.
The CVCC baseball team returns to action this weekend with a road conference series against Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Va.
The Red Hawks and Patriots will play a doubleheader consisting of one nine-inning and one seven-inning game on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. before finishing the set with a single nine-inning game at noon on Sunday.