Herring, Hales both homer twice in DH sweep of Mars Hill

Salisbury, N.C. —- The Catawba College softball team scored 28 runs, including 15 combined runs in the last inning of the game, in Catawba's doubleheader sweep of Mars Hill at Whitley Field on Tuesday afternoon. The Catawba Indians improve to 14-14 overall and 2-2 in South Atlantic Conference play.

GAME ONE | Catawba 14, Mars Hill 6 - 6 innings

TEAM STATS

- Catawba out-hit Mars Hill 14-5

- The Catawba Indians recorded five of seven extra-base hits

- The Lions recorded four of five errors in the contest

- Catawba had the lone stolen base of the game

- Catawba's pitchers allowed four earned runs on five hits and eight walks, striking out one; MHU's staff allowed six earned runs on 14 hits and four walks, striking out five

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Bri Herring was 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, a walk, six RBI and two runs scored

- Kary Hales went 3-for-5 with four runs scored

- Bri Gallagher also added three hits with a double, two RBI and two runs scored

- Grace Flynn was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored

- Hales got the win in the circle, pitching the final 1.2 innings without allowing a run or a hit

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST INNING

- Madi Taylor drove in the first run of the day with an RBI fielder's choice

THIRD INNING

- MHU's Farley Park two-run homer gave the Lions an early lead

FIFTH INNING

- Payton Little's grand slam gave MHU a 6-1 lead

- Herring recorded an RBI double to start Catawba's three-run fifth

- Alexis Monroe hit a two-out, two-RBI to cut the Catawba deficit to 6-4

SIXTH INNING

- Herring's three-run homer gave Catawba the late lead

- Taylor's RBI groundout added to the Catawba lead

- Flynn scored another run on an RBI base knock before Herring's two-RBI single

- Gallagher's two-RBI double capped the 10-run inning for Catawba and force the mercy-rule in the same inning in which they entered trailing

GAME TWO | Catawba 14, Mars Hill 13

TEAM STATS

- Catawba out-hit Mars Hill 17-10

- The Catawba Indians recorded seven of 12 extra-base hits

- MHU committed the lone error of the contest

- Both teams recorded a steal

- Catawba's pitchers allowed 13 earned runs on 10 hits and nine walks, striking out three; MHU's staff allowed 13 earned runs on 17 hits and seven walks, striking out five

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Hales was 2-for-5 with two homers, four RBI and two runs scored

- Riley Tucker went 3-for-5 with a homer, a double, an RBI and two runs scored

- Flynn added three hits with a double and three RBI

- Herring added her second homer of the day as part of two hits with an RBI and two runs scored

- Kinsley Caldwell was the fourth Catawba Indian to homer in game two

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST INNING

- Mars Hill put up two runs in the top of the first

- Herring struck back with a solo homer in the bottom half

SECOND INNING

- Aniyah King singled and stole second with two outs in the second

- Savanna Balderston hit an RBI single to tie the game

- Hales' two-run blast to left field put Catawba up 4-2

THIRD INNING

- Flynn's RBI double down the line scored Gallagher

FOURTH INNING

- Hales' two-run homer lifted Catawba to a 7-2 lead

- Tucker blasted a homer to right center just two batters later

FIFTH INNING

- Little homered three-run homer cut the Lions' deficit to 8-5

- MHU's Jessica Senn followed up with a two-run homer to pull within a single run

SIXTH INNING

- A wild pitch tied the game before Park hit a two-RBI triple put MHU on top

- Little's RBI single up the middle gave them an 11-8 lead

- Flynn's RBI infield single kept the Catawba Indians within two runs

SEVENTH INNING

- Park's homer completed the cycle for her in the top of the seventh; the homer extended the MHU lead to 13-9

- Caldwell hit a lead-off solo homer to get to 13-10

- Gallagher's infield single scored Herring to get within two runs

- Taylor followed up with an RBI single to pull within a run

- Walks and hit-by-pitches loaded the bases for Catawba; Flynn's walk tied the game and Courtnee Carter's walk-off walk clinched the sweep for Catawba

UP NEXT

- Catawba takes the weekend off before returning to SAC play at Tusculum on Wednesday; first pitch is set for 2 p.m.