Salisbury, N.C.-- Making their first ever Super Regional appearance, the Lenoir-Rhyne baseball team dropped game one 7-3 in their best-of-three series with Catawba. Mackenzie Wainwright led the Bears at the plate with a 2-for-4 day and a two-run home run. 

The Bears will need to win Friday and Saturday to take the series as Catawba will look to punch their ticket to their second world series tomorrow night with a victory. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: (3) Lenoir-Rhyne 3, (1) Catawba 7
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (46-13), Catawba (46-12)
Location: Salisbury, N.C. | Newman Park

STORY OF THE GAME

• The Catawba Indians got the game's first run with a RBI ground out in the bottom of the 1st. 
• Mackenzie Wainwright crushed his 25th home run of the season in the top of the 3rd, a two-run shot to give LR a 2-1 lead. 
• Catawba then took control of game one with a four-run fourth inning to take a 5-2 lead. Three of the four runs were unearned. 
• After the Indians added a run in the 5th, Cole Stanford drove in Cole Laskowski with a RBI single in the sixth to get the Bears within three at 6-3. 
• LR did get a pair of runners on in the ninth but could not get the tying run up as Catawba took game one. 

STATS OF THE GAME

• Mackenzie Wainwright and Michael Logan had four of the Bears seven hits on the night. 
• Cole Stanford, Nathaneal Keeter, and Hogan Stallings each added a hit. 
• Kellen Gradisar (11-3) went six innings in the start allowing six runs (three earned) and striking out four.
• Catawba's got eight strong innings from All-American Payne Stolsworth in the victory. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Today was the 120th all-time meeting between Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba.
• The game was played in just two hours and 13 minutes. 
• Logan become the sixth player this season with at least 70 hits. 

UP NEXT:  Game two of the Super Regional will be played Friday night at 6:00 PM. The Bears will be the designated home team tomorrow evening as they look to even the series. First-pitch is scheduled at 6:00 PM from Salisbury, N.C.