HICKORY, N.C. — Sophomore pitcher Blake Dockery tossed his second-straight no-hitter, highlighting a doubleheader sweep for the Catawba Valley Community College baseball team in its conference opener on Saturday afternoon against Paul D. Camp at Henkel-Alley Field.
With the victories, the Red Hawks improve their record to 5-1 overall on the season and 2-0 in Region 10 games.
Game one: Catawba Valley 5, Paul D. Camp 2 (nine innings)
Noah Love connected on his third home run of the season, while Malik Stephens, Colt Byars and Jackson Brown all tallied RBI hits in the Red Hawks' three-run victory in Saturday's opener against the Hurricanes.
Byars' RBI double down the left field line in the third inning gave CVCC an early 1-0 lead, but Paul D. Camp would answer to tie the game in the fourth inning on a two-out RBI double by catcher Rufus Hurdle.
However, it would be a three-run sixth inning that would help push the Red Hawks into the lead for good.
Stephens broke the 1-1 tie with an RBI double in the sixth inning that scored Ryan Healy, and Brown drove in a run on an RBI single and also scored a run on a passed ball during the inning.
Padding the lead, Love added his third home run of the season in the eighth inning to make it a 5-1 Red Hawk advantage.
The Hurricanes pulled within three runs of the lead in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI double by first baseman Patrick Rogan, but they were able to get no closer in the contest.
On the mound, Catawba Valley starting pitcher Mason Herbert allowed three hits and one earned run while striking out six batters, earning his second win of the season.
Game two: Catawba Valley 10, Paul D. Camp 0 (five innings)
Sophomore Blake Dockery became the first Red Hawk to throw consecutive no hitters, leading Catawba Valley in its five-inning run-rule win in game two against Paul D. Camp.
Catawba Valley's bats exploded early and often in Saturday's second game, connecting on four home runs in the opening three innings.
Second baseman Chandler Blackwelder and designated hitter Noah Love recorded back-to-back solo home runs in the first inning to make it a 2-0 lead for CVCC.
Catcher Jesse Harkey made it a 3-0 Red Hawk lead with a solo blast of his own to deep center field in the second inning, and Stephens also scored during the inning after a single and three-base error by the Hurricanes.
A three-run homer by CVCC first baseman Sabion Thomas — his first home run of the season — made it a 6-0 lead for the Red Hawks through three complete innings.
With a comfortable lead, Dockery settled in on the mound, retiring the first 10 batters in order before allowing a one-out walk to Xavier Anderson in the fourth inning.
Catawba Valley continued to give Dockery run support, adding three runs in the fifth inning, including a bases-loaded walk by right fielder Vinny Consolo.
Harkey also scored during the fifth on a wild pitch, and shortstop Jose Vargas also came across to score on a passed ball — setting up the possibility for a run-rule win for Catawba Valley.
Dockery continued to dazzle on the mound, retiring two of the final three batters in the fifth on strikeouts to seal his history-making no-hitter. He finished Saturday's game with 11 strikeouts on 61 pitches (42 strikes) in five innings of work.
The CVCC baseball team finishes its three-game set with Paul D. Camp on Sunday with a single nine-inning game. First pitch at Henkel-Alley Field is set for noon. Admission is free.
