Salisbury, N.C. —- The Catawba College softball team concluded its final home games of 2026 on Sunday with a split with Barton at a windy Whitley Field.
GAME ONE | Catawba 9, Barton 0 - 5 innings
TEAM STATISTICS
- Catawba out-hit Barton 9-2
- The Catawba Indians hit the lone homer and all five extra-base hits
- The Bulldogs committed the lone error in the field
- Barton left three runners on base; the Catawba Indians stranded four
- Catawba recorded all three stolen bases
- The Catawba Indian starter pitched a shutout in five innings on just two hits and two walks, striking out five; the Bulldogs' staff allowed eight earned runs on nine hits and two walks, striking out two
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Lainey Ruscoe took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, finishing out the complete-game shutout with just two hits and two walks surrendered
- Alexis Monroe hit her first collegiate home run, driving in two and scoring three runs
- Micaela Hartman went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored
- Grace Flynn doubled, drove in a run and scored
- Jordan McCorkle doubled and drove in two
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST INNING
- Monroe walked and stole second with one out in the first
- Brianna Gallagher drove her in with a single up the middle
THIRD INNING
- Dakotah Wilkins singled and stole second to lead off the third
- Flynn brought her home with a double to left field
- Monroe lifted her first career home run to left field to extend the lead to 4-0
- Maddy Altiers doubled to left field, which was then followed by Hartman's double to push the lead to five runs
- McCorkle's two-run double to right field made it a 7-0 Catawba lead
FOURTH INNING
- Monroe reached on an error and advanced to second before tagging on a flyout and scoring on a wild pitch to make it 8-0
- Hartman notched her second double of the game to score Rachel Pressley for the game's final score
GAME TWO | Barton 9, Catawba 3
TEAM STATISTICS
- Barton out-hit Catawba 13-7
- Both teams hit a homer; the Bulldogs had three of five extra-base hits
- Both teams committed two errors
- The Catawba Indians left six runners on base; Barton stranded eight
- The Bulldogs recorded both stolen bases in the game
- Barton's starter allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk, striking out four; Catawba's staff allowed nine runs on 13 hits and three walks, striking out four
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Gallagher went 2-for-4 with a homer and a double with two RBI and two runs scored in her final game at Whitley Field
- McCorkle picked up three hits
- Kate Holland and Wilkins combined for 3.1 scoreless innings of relief
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST INNING
- A single and two walks loaded the bases with no outs in the first
- Madison Mercer's RBI single got the scoring started for Barton
- A passed ball, a groundout and an RBI single quickly made it 4-0
- Mackenzie Burroughs' two-run homer made it 6-0, Barton
- Monroe walked and Gallagher scored her on a double to right center
- Hartman followed with a single the other way to cut the deficit to four runs
THIRD INNING
- Gallagher's solo blast to right field made it a 6-3 Barton lead
FOURTH INNING
- The Bulldogs tacked on three more runs in the top of the fourth
UP NEXT
- Catawba closes action in the regular season on Saturday, looking to clinch a spot in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament with at least one win at Coker with first pitches at 2 and 4 p.m.
