Catawba Softball Splits with Anderson, Keeps SAC Tournament Hopes Alive

By RCW Sports Staff

SALISBURY, N.C. — With their postseason hopes hanging in the balance, the Catawba College softball team came through with a big response on Wednesday, bouncing back from a game-one loss to split their South Atlantic Conference doubleheader with Anderson at Whitley Field.

After dropping the opener 5-2 despite outhitting the Trojans, the Catawba Indians erupted offensively in game two for a thrilling 10-8 win, keeping themselves in the mix for a SAC Tournament berth.

Game One: Anderson 5, Catawba 2

Catawba scattered eight hits in the opener but couldn’t convert enough run-scoring opportunities, stranding seven base runners. Anderson did their damage with the long ball, blasting three home runs to account for four of their five runs.

Key Moments:

• Anderson’s Lauren Brakovec broke the scoreless tie in the fourth with an RBI single before two home runs in the same inning made it 4-0.

• Brakovec added a solo shot in the sixth.

• Catawba got on the board with an RBI single from Kinsley Caldwell and a run-scoring groundout by Molly Strider.

Stat Highlights:

• Maddy Altiers led the Indians with a three-hit performance.

• Savanna Balderston doubled.

• Kate Holland took the loss, allowing five runs on five hits and striking out three.

Game Two: Catawba 10, Anderson 8

Catawba flipped the script in the nightcap, outslugging the Trojans in a back-and-forth shootout that featured five total home runs—four of them off Catawba bats.

After falling behind 8-4 in the fourth, the Indians rallied with six unanswered runs, capped by Rachel Pressley’s first collegiate home run to seal the win.

Key Moments:

• Down 4-0 in the third, Altiers delivered a clutch two-out, bases-clearing triple to tie the game.

• Brianna Herring crushed her first home run of the season—a three-run shot—to bring the Indians within one in the fourth.

• Grace Flynn tied it with a solo homer in the very next at-bat.

• Herring drove in the go-ahead run in the fifth, and Pressley added insurance in the sixth with a bomb to dead center.

Stat Highlights:

• Herring went 2-for-3 with four RBI.

• Flynn was 3-for-4 with a homer.

• Altiers and Courtnee Carter both tripled.

• Alex Baquie went the distance in the circle, settling down after a rough start to throw three scoreless innings and secure the win.

Next Up

Catawba (still fighting for a postseason spot) heads to UVA Wise on Saturday for another pivotal SAC doubleheader. First pitches are scheduled for 2 and 4 p.m.

Stay tuned to RCW Sports for more Catawba softball coverage and updates from around Rowan County.