Staff report

SALISBURY — Former Carson and Rowan County American Legion slugger Logan Rogers wasn’t one of the eight Indians named to the All-South Atlantic Conference team, despite an all-conference worthy season.

He reminded everyone of that on Friday. His two-run, walk-off homer in the ninth inning turned a Catawba defeat into a Catawba victory in the opening round of the SAC tournament.

Top-seeded Catawba trailed eighth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne 7-6 when Rogers’ team-leading 12th homer on a 2-and-2 pitch supplied a sudden 8-7 victory that delighted most of the crowd of 565 at Newman Park.

Lenoir-Rhyne (30-21) swung the bats well against Catawba starting pitcher Austin Fine and led 7-2 after six innings.

Catawba got two runs in the seventh and two in the eighth to get back to 7-6.

Dylan Driver also homered for the Indians (39-12). Driver had three hits, scored two runs and knocked in three.

Sam Hunter had two hits.

Mason Gwyn (7-1) pitched the eighth and ninth and earned the win.

Catawba was the only favored team to win on a wild first day.

Other tournament scores:

(5) Lincoln Memorial socked five homers to beat (4) Tusculum 16-13 at Newman Park

(6) Newberry 18, (3) Wingate 6, at Coker

(7) Carson-Newman 8, (2) Coker 4, at Coker

Saturday’s schedule has been adjusted to the weather forecast. Catawba will play Lincoln Memorial at 11 a.m. at Newman Park, with the Tusculum-Lenoir-Rhyne elimination game to follow.

Action will start at Coker at 10 a.m. with a Carson-Newman-Newberry game. A Coker-Wingate elimination game will follow.