Salisbury, N.C.-- The Lenoir-Rhyne Baseball team topped Catawba 6-3 on Friday night in game two of the Southeast Super Regional to force a winner-take-all game tomorrow night. The victor will punch their ticket to Cary, the home of the 2025 Division II Championship Series. 

With their season on the line William Girardi spun a gem for the Bears on the mound as he went eight innings, holding the powerful Catawba lineup to just three runs. Cole Stanford went 2-for-4 with a home run and drove in three RBI's to lead LR at the plate. 

The win was an milestone victory for LR as this marks their first ever win in a Super Regional game. The victory also breaks the single season win mark topping the 2022 team which won 46 games. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: (3) Lenoir-Rhyne 6, (1) Catawba 3
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (47-13), Catawba (46-13)
Location: Salisbury, N.C. | Newman Park

STORY OF THE GAME

• Cole Stanford got the Bears on the board in the first with RBI single. Cole Laskowski came around to score on the play after an errant throw to give LR an early 2-0 lead after one. 
• Catawba came back with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning. 
• Stanford gave Lenoir-Rhyne a lead back with a two-run bomb in the fourth. 
• The Bears extended their lead with an RBI infield single from Laskowski in the fourth. 
• LR concluded their scoring when Sal Carricato drove in Owen Blackledge in the sixth to give the Bears a 6-2 lead.
• After Catawba cut the lead to 6-3 in the seventh, Will Girardi got a key double play in the 8th and Gavin Marley went 1-2-3 in the ninth to force tomorrow's winners take all game. 

STATS OF THE GAME

• Mackenzie Wainwright had his fourth four hit game as he went went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles. 
• The top five of the Bears order had 11 of the Bears' 12 hits as Stanford, Laskowski and Carricato each had a pair.
• LR had four extra base hits, three doubles and Stanford's home run. 
• Girardi (12-2) went eight innings, which was his longest start of the season. He allowed just seven hits and three runs.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Girardi is the first pitcher in program history to reach 12 wins in a single season.
• Carricato tied the program record with 187 career RBI's.
• With two hits tonight, Laskowski moved to third place all-time with 261 career hits. 
• Marley tied the program record with his ninth save of the season.
• The Bears have 128 home runs as a team, three away from tying the NCAA DII single-season record.

UP NEXT:  A berth to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship is on the line Saturday night as game three will take place from Salisbury, N.C. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 PM.