By Jake Miller
The Lexington Dispatch
LEXINGTON ó Central Davidsonís Cody Beck was good from the mound, but when he stepped to the plate with two out in the bottom of the 10th inning, he was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
ěIt was about time I got a hit,î Beck said.
Beck smashed a 2-0 pitch from Clint Veal for an opposite-field, walk-off solo home run to left field and the Spartans escaped Tuesday night with a 3-2 Central Carolina Conference win in 10 innings over Salisbury.
Salisbury (9-6 overall, 4-3 CCC) starter Brian Bauk and Beck kept the game scoreless through six innings, surrendering four combined hits before the seventh inning. In the top of the seventh, Salisbury scored two runs off Central (11-4, 5-2) reliever Dillon Hampton, and it looked like those would be the winning runs. Nolan Meyerhoeffer led off with a double, and when Kyle Wolfe bunted, Hampton tried to get Meyerhoeffer at third but all runners were deemed safe.
Hampton then struck out Ian Swaim looking, but Scott Van der Poel hit a fielderís choice that scored Meyerhoeffer for a 1-0 lead. When Vanderpoel tried to steal second, Central catcher Landon Clarkís throw was not stopped by either second baseman Logan Frank or shortstop Andrew Everhart, then it was again mishandled by center fielder Landon Burkhart. Vanderpoel kept chugging until he crossed home for a 2-0 lead.
ěYou had to feel pretty good about two runs at that point,î Salisbury coach Scott Maddox said.
Bauk alternated outs and walks to start the bottom of the seventh, until Frank stepped up with two out and runners on first and second. Frank hit a fly ball to right that was lost in the lights by Meyerhoeffer, and when the ball dropped in Hampton scored. The throw to the infield was picked up by first baseman Chance Bowman, who tried to catch Burkhart going to third, but his throw went past the bag and to the fence, allowing Burkhart to come home for the unlikely two-out tying run.
ěThatís baseball,î Central coach Greg Peters said. ěWe gave them a gift. That ball got by our second baseman and our center fielder, and that doesnít happen often. And I said theyíre due to give us one, too, and we just put the ball in play and hoped for the best.
ěWe hung in there and they gave us a gift right back.î
Bauk pitched a perfect eighth and was replaced by Veal, who put two on but got out of a jam in the ninth. Hampton, meanwhile, put runners on in each of the eighth, ninth and 10th, but no runner made it safely to third.
In the bottom of the 10th, Veal got the first two batters before Beck ended the game.
ěWhat was I? 0-for-4?,î Beck said. ěI just got the pitch I wanted and finally I got a hit. Thatís about all you can do.î
Bauk finished with six strikeouts, allowing just three hits and two walks in eight innings, but was left with the no decision.
ěHe did a super job. He didnít pitch very well against West (on Friday) and really wanted to come back out,î Maddox said. ěWe just couldnít get him any runs, but of course Beck had a lot to do with that and Dillon came in and did a pretty good job, too.
ěWe might have been here forever if Beck doesnít hit that home run. It was a good game. You hate to be on the losing side of it but it was a good baseball game.î
Beck struck out 12, walked one and allowed two hits. Hampton, the winning pitcher, allowed four hits in four innings, fanning four.

NOTES: Spencer Carmichael, Philip Tonseth, Bauk and John Knox all had hits for the Hornets. Ö Burkhart, Clark and Hampton added hits for the Spartans. Ö In the top of the 10th, Bauk singled but was gunned down by Burkhart trying to stretch it into a double. Ö Central Davidson travels to Forbush on Wednesday. Salisbury plays in its Easter tournament this weekend.