FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CATAWBA COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION
Tuesday, February 6, 2007

LINK, THREE OTHERS COMBINE TO SHUTOUT PFEIFFER

MISENHEIMER, NC -- Catawba senior Paul Link (Salisbury, NC) pitched shutout ball into the sixth as the Indians defeated host Pfeiffer 3-0 in baseball action on Tuesday afternoon at Ferebee Field.  The Catawba Indians improved to 3-1, while the Falcons fell to 3-2.

Catawba took the lead with a pair of runs in the second inning.  With two outs, David Thomas (Winston-Salem, NC) singled in Brian Sommer (New Port Richey, FL), who had drawn a leadoff walk.  Craig Lyerly (Salisbury, NC) scored on an overthrow as he stole third.

The Tribe added a third run in the sixth on a two-out error on a grounder by Lyerly.  Link surrendered just four hits in his five and two-thirds innings of work.  In the fifth, Kyle Pugh led off with a double, but Link picked him off.  He was relieved in the sixth after giving up a single and a walk with two outs.

Tim Smith (Walnut Cove, NC) got Catawba out of damage in the sixth.  Smith allowed one hit in the seventh and walked two batters to lead off the eighth, but Matt Seabolt (Asheboro, NC) and Zach Evans (Greensboro, NC) tossed single innings of perfect relief to close out the game.

Thomas and Evans each had two hits for Catawba.  Justin Ridenhour collected a pair of hits for Pfeiffer.  Ben Beard allowed just four hits with five strikeouts in five innings while taking the loss for the Falcons.  Chris Russell pitched four innings of relief, allowing three hits and one unearned run.