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Lenoir-Rhyne University Athletics

Baseball Team Pic
6
Winner Lenoir-Rhyne LR 48-13
1
Catawba CAT 46-14
Winner
Lenoir-Rhyne LR
48-13
6
Final
1
Catawba CAT
46-14
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Lenoir-Rhyne LR 0 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 0 6 10 0
Catawba CAT 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 4 0

W: Harlow, Andrew (11-1) L: Austin Fine (9-3)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Jason Stuebe, Athletic Communications Assistant

CARY BOUND! Bears punch ticket to World Series for the first time in program history

Salisbury, N.C.-- For the first time in program history, the Lenoir-Rhyne Baseball team is heading to NCAA Division II Baseball Championship. The Bears defeated Catawba 6-1 on Saturday night to win their first ever Southeast Regional and punched their ticket to Cary. 

Andrew Harlow came through when the Bears needed him most as he went eight innings and held Catawba to just a single run. Nathaneal Keeter and Sal Carricato each hit two-run home runs to help LR inch closer to the all-time NCAA Division II home run record. 

The 2025 Division II Baseball Championship will be held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., starting on May 30th.  The eight teams will be reseeded and brackets will be out later this weekend. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: (3) Lenoir-Rhyne 6, (1) Catawba 1
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (48-13), Catawba (46-14)
Location: Salisbury, N.C. | Newman Park

STORY OF THE GAME
  • Nathaneal Keeter got LR on the board with a two-run home run to center to give LR an early 2-0 lead after three.
  • Cole Stanford extended the lead with an opposite field RBI single in the fifth inning. 
  • Sal Carricato scored later in the fifth on a wild pitch to give the Bears their biggest lead of the series at 4-0. 
  • Catawba finally got on scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth, but Carricato got that run back and more with a two-run shot in the seventh.
  • Catawba's last hit of the game was the RBI single in the sixth inning as only one runner reached base in the final three innings.
  • Gavin Marley come in the ninth and shut the Indians down 1-2-3 to send the Bears to Cary. 
STATS OF THE GAME
  • The story of the game was Andrew Harlow (11-1), as he held Catawba to just four hits and a single run in eight innings of work, all while striking out seven. 
  • LR had ten hits and drew six walks in the contest. 
  • Owen Blackledge, Michael Logan and Nathaneal Keeter each had a pair of hits.
  • Keeter and Sal Carricato both hit two-run home runs. 
  • For the second straight night, Marley come in to pitch a scoreless ninth inning. 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
  • Harlow is now the all-time single season strikeout leader with 119 and counting. 
  • Harlow joins Kellen Gradisar and William Girardi with at least eleven wins this season. Coming into this season only one pitcher at LR has ever won at least eleven games in a single season. 
  • Sal Carricato, who knows the program home run record, is now the program RBI lead with 189 career RBI's.
  • The Bears have 130 home runs as a team, one away from tying the NCAA DII single-season record.
UP NEXT:  Lenoir-Rhyne will make the 161 mile trip to Cary for the 2025 NCAA DII Baseball Championship. The eight regional teams will be reseeded and put in two four teams bracket as the double elimination tournament starts on May 30th and ends on June 7th.
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