Baseball

March 9, 2003

Rimer's eighth-inning homer leads Baseball to win over Mars Hill

SALISBURY, NC -- Catawba College got a two-run homer from freshman Aaron Rimer (Salisbury, NC) in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Indians completed a three-game sweep of visiting Mars Hill with a 5-3 win in South Atlantic Conference baseball action on Sunday afternoon at Newman Park. Catawba improves to 14-8 overall and 3-0 in the SAC, while Mars Hill falls to 2-13 and 0-3. Mars Hill drew first blood on Chris DiMenna’s (Severna Park, MD) two-out, run-scoring single in the first. Catawba would take the lead in its first as the first four Tribe batters reached base. Spence Southard (Greensboro, NC) collected a RBI single, while Rimer doubled home a run. The Lions tied the game in the sixth as Chris Argon (Marietta, GA) delivered a sacrifice fly, but the Tribe answered in its half on a solo home run by Jimbo Davis (Salisbury, NC) with two outs in the sixth. Mars Hill would get a sacrifice fly from Justin Boone (Burnsville, NC) to knot the game at 3-3 in the eight. Rimer’s game-winning homer followed a lead-off single by Southard. Matt Fairweather (Lenoir, NC) earned the win in relief for the Tribe, while Jake Talley (Royersford, NC) picked up his second save, working the ninth. Mars Hill put two runners on in the ninth, on a one-out error and a hit batter, but Talley got a fielder’s choice groundout and a fly out to end the game. Chris Abernathy (Claremont, NC) made the start for Catawba, allowing two runs on eight hits over six and a third innings. Rimer was one of four Indians with two hits and totaled three RBI. Southard also had two hits, as did Davis and Matt Baker (Charlotte, NC). Baker went 8-for-12 in the series with two homers, two doubles and 11 RBI. Matt Russell (Chapel Hill, NC) was 3-for-4 for the Lions, while Justin Mahon (Ft. Myers, FL) and Brandon Haney (Orlando, FL) each collected two hits. Tom Foster (Pasadena, MD) took the loss for Mars Hill, going the distance, allowing five runs on 11 hits with four strikeouts. #####