Barton Roundup: Bulldogs complete series sweep of Chowan

Wilson — First-year head coach Matt Padgett earned his first series sweep at the helm of the Barton College baseball program Saturday afternoon as the Bulldogs polished off a weekend sweep of Conference Carolinas foe Chowan with an 11-5, 14-6 doubleheader victory at Nixon Field. The twin wins gave Barton (7-17, 5-13) its first back-to-back victories of the season and completed a commanding three-game set that began with an 18-0 triumph on Friday.

Game 1 – Barton 11, Chowan 5 Trailing 3-0 before they came to bat, the Bulldogs responded with a five-run third inning to seize control. Tyler Hughesman keyed the uprising, collecting three of Barton’s 13 hits and driving in two runs, including the go-ahead RBI. Gregory Melo delivered a two-run triple, and four different Bulldogs finished with two RBIs apiece. Reliever Joshua Wolkin quieted the Hawks the rest of the way to earn the win.

Game 2 – Barton 14, Chowan 6 The offense erupted for 16 hits and seven runs in the decisive fifth inning. J.J. Faulkner led the charge, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, including a two-run single during the game-breaking frame. Nathan Waldridge provided 3 1/3 innings of solid relief to secure the victory.

Friday’s series opener saw Barton pound out 12 hits and score 11 runs across the seventh and eighth innings. David Lieux and Faulkner each drove in five runs—Lieux on a three-run homer and Faulkner on a pair of long balls. Myles Odom added three hits, while Hughesman chipped in two hits and two RBIs. Mason McDougall tossed six shutout innings for the win as Chowan managed only seven hits.

The sweep drops Chowan to 3-19 overall and 3-15 in league play. Barton returns to the diamond Tuesday at 3 p.m. for a non-conference meeting with Lenoir-Rhyne before traveling to Belmont Abbey for a three-game conference set beginning Friday at 5 p.m.