SALISBURY, N.C. --- The Catawba College baseball team scratched out a pair of one-run victories as the 11th-ranked Catawba Indians swept a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader over visiting Tusculum College Saturday afternoon at Newman Park.

Catawba scored twice in the ninth inning, including a walk-off sacrifice fly to cap a 6-5 win and capture the 2015 SAC Championship outright. The Indians jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second game but had to hold off several Tusculum rallies in a 5-4 win in the night-cap.

Catawba (35-10, 23-6 SAC) wins the weekend series 2-1, while Tusculum (27-16, 18-11 SAC) has its four-game winning streak snapped.

Game 1: No. 11 Catawba 6, Tusculum 5 (Box Score)

The Catawba Indians scored two runs thanks to a pair of walks, two hit batters and a game-winning sacrifice fly from Craig Brooks to lead the hosts to a 6-5 victory.

With the score tied 4-4 heading to the ninth inning, Tusculum's Jeremiah Tullidge led off the frame with a base hit and later scored on Chris Waylock's one-out double down the left field line to drive in the go-ahead run.

In the Catawba ninth, pinch-hitter Austin Stilley drew a lead-off walk from Cameron Carney. TC bullpen ace Devan Watts came aboard and hit Blake Houston to put runners at first and second with no outs. After a strikeout of Kyle Smith, hot-hitting Will Albertson stepped to the plate.

Albertson had homered in his first two plate appearances in the game, following his two-homer performance on Friday. The Pioneers, who walked Albertson in the sixth and intentionally walked him in the seventh, elected to give a free pass to the SAC Player of the Year candidate and take their chances with T.J. Wharton, who was batting 1-for-8 in the series thus far. But an inside pitch got away from Watts and hit Wharton to drive in the tying run. Brooks followed by sending a fly ball to center field to drive in Houston with the game-winner.

Tusculum scored the first two runs of the game thanks to a Kevin Victoriano sacrifice fly and a Waylock infield single.

Albertson trimmed the TC 2-0 lead in half with his solo home run, his conference-leading 23rd of the season.

Tusculum got the run back in the fourth inning as Vinny Ferrara and Jalen Shuffler led off with consecutive singles to put runners at first and third. The duo pulled off a double-steal as Shuffler moved to second and Ferrara scored from third.

Albertson got the run back for Catawba with his lead-off home run as Tusculum lead 3-2.

The Pioneers added a run in the seventh as Tullidge led off with a single and later scored on Waylock's fly out to left field as TC led 4-2. The Indians answered with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 4-4.

Catawba relief pitcher Ryan McClintock picked up the victory to improve to 3-0 on the season. He went 1 1/3 innings, allowed two hits, one run and two strikeouts. Watts (4-2) suffered the loss as he pitched the final 2/3 innings.
Tullidge went 3-for-3 for the Pioneers with two runs scored, while Waylock posted a 2-for-4 performance with three RBI. Tusculum outfielder Andrew Bowerman posted a single to extend his hitting streak to 16 consecutive games.

Game 2: No. 11 Catawba 5, Tusculum 4 (Box Score)

Brooks went 3-for-3 at the plate and pitched the final two innings to record his first save of the season as Catawba won the series' rubber game 5-4.

The Indians plated three runs in the third inning, as the first four batters reached base. Chance Bowden drew a walk and moved to third on Grayland Fowler's double. Houston followed with a double of his own to drive in Bowden for the game's first run. Stilley clubbed a two-run single up the middle to give Catawba a 3-0 lead, its largest of the weekend.

TC relief pitcher Michael Scott picked off Stilley at first base and got a fly out of Albertson and Wharton to ground out to end the inning.

Tusculum cut into the deficit with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Victoriano and Waylock drew back-to-back, one-out walks. After a fly out, Jeovanny Tolentino drove in Victoriano with his RBI single and Jim Tolle followed with a RBI double to trim the Catawba led to 3-2 and place runners at second and third. During Nick Rodriguez's at-bat, an errant pitch got away from the Catawba catcher. Tolentino broke toward the plate and was thrown out trying to score.

Rodriguez led off the fifth inning with his fifth double of the year and later scored on Victoriano's two-out single to tie the game at 3-3.

The Indians answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth as Albertson and Brooks posted RBI doubles as Catawba regained the lead at 5-3.

The Indians moved Brooks from third base to the mound to try and close out the game. Brooks has been having a stellar year as the ace of the Catawba starting rotation with an 8-1 record while leading the nation in strikeouts.

The Pioneers applied the pressure as Shuffler pulled a double to right field and moved to third on a Brooks' wild pitch. Tolentino walked to put runners on the corners. Tolle hit a grounder to Bowden at first base, who threw out Shuffler at the plate. Rodriguez stepped up and line a single to center field to bring home Tolentino from second base and cut the deficit to one. But Brooks got out of the jam with an inning-ending double play.

Brooks retired the Pioneers in order in the seventh, including his NCAA Division II-leading 121st strikeout.

Shuffler and Rodriguez each posted two hits for the Pioneers as both teams finished with eight hits apiece.

Scott (3-2) suffered the loss for the Pioneers as he went 2 2/3 innings, allowed four hits, two runs, one walk and a strikeout. TC reliever Dalton Boslooper held the Indians at bay as he tossed 1 1/3 shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts.

Catawba has clinched the top-seed in next week's conference tournament, while Tusculum will be seeded third. The league office will announce the tournament bracket and schedule following the conclusion of SAC play later this weekend.

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