SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The Catawba Valley Community College baseball team lost both games of a road doubleheader against host Spartanburg Methodist on Tuesday afternoon.
The Red Hawks' record now stands at 26-19 overall on the season.
Game one: Spartanburg Methodist 6, Catawba Valley 0 (seven innings)
The Red Hawks committed five errors and tallied just one hit at the plate in a shutout loss to the Pioneers during the opener of the set on Tuesday afternoon in Spartanburg, S.C.
Trent Jones recorded the lone hit for the Red Hawks — a single to center field with one out in the top of the fifth. Jones reached base twice during Tuesday's opener, including once on an error in the third inning.
SMC starting pitcher Charles Schaum went the distance to earn his second win of 2019. He allowed one hit, two walks and struck out three batters during his complete game performance.
Tristan Shea led the Pioneers on offense with a two-run single in the first inning, while Houston Wright, Andrew Krauss and Donald Hansis also drove in one run each for Spartanburg Methodist.
Game two: Spartanburg Methodist 8, Catawba Valley 5
The Pioneers used a four-run sixth inning to seize the lead late en route to the doubleheader sweep against the Red Hawks during the second game of the twin bill on Tuesday.
Shortstop Joey Tepper led the late charge for SMC (27-17) with a two-run home run in the sixth inning — his second of the game.
After falling behind 4-0 through three complete innings, Catawba Valley surged ahead of Spartanburg Methodist by scoring three runs in the fourth inning and two in the fifth inning to gain a 5-4 advantage.
Center fielder Malik Stephens got the scoring going for CVCC during the fourth inning, driving in a run on an RBI double down the left field line. Before the inning was over, shortstop Jamie Sheek added an RBI sac fly and second baseman Ryan Healy drove in a run on an RBI single to cut the Red Hawks' deficit down to 4-3.
Back-to-back home runs by third baseman Grant Tilley and right fielder Vinny Consolo helped push Catawba Valley ahead for the first time in Tuesday's second game, poising them to earn their 27th win of the spring.
However, a potential come-from-behind win for CVCC would be spoiled in the sixth inning when Tepper homered down the left field line for the tying and eventual game-winning runs.
The Catawba Valley Community College baseball team returns to action this weekend for its final road conference series of the season.
The Red Hawks travel to Jamestown, N.C. to take on Guilford Tech for a 1 p.m. doubleheader consisting of one nine-inning game and one seven-inning game on Saturday before playing a single nine-inning game on Sunday at noon.
