The Barton College baseball team capped a weekend NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas series against Chowan with a doubleheader sweep Saturday, winning 11-5 and 14-6 at Nixon Field. It was the first series sweep under first-year head coach Matt Padgett for the Bulldogs, who hadn’t won consecutive games until Saturday.

The Bulldogs (7-17, 5-13) rallied in the opener after falling behind 3-0 in the first inning. Tyler Hughesman led the comeback with three hits and two RBIs, including the go-ahead run in the third inning. Gregory Melo added a two-run triple, and Barton had four players drive in two runs. Joshua Wolkin earned the win in relief as the Bulldogs pulled away late for the six-run victory.

Barton completed the sweep with a strong offensive showing in the nightcap, totaling 16 hits in a 14-6 win. J.J. Faulkner paced the attack with three hits and three RBIs, including a two-run single during a seven-run fifth inning that broke the game open. Nathan Waldridge earned the win in relief.

The Bulldogs started the series sweep with an 18-0 victory Friday. Barton broke the game open with a seven-run seventh inning and added four more in the eighth while finishing with 12 hits. David Lieux and Faulkner each drove in five runs, with Lieux hitting a three-run home run and Faulkner adding two homers. Myles Odom had three hits, and Hughesman added two hits and two RBIs.

Mason McDougall earned the win Friday, allowing no runs over six innings as Barton’s pitching staff held Chowan to seven hits.

Chowan fell to 3-19 overall and 3-15 in Conference Carolinas play.

Barton returns to action Tuesday at home against Lenoir-Rhyne in a nonconference single game starting at 3 p.m. The Bulldogs visit Belmont Abbey for a three-game conference series starting Friday afternoon at 5.

FLAG FOOTBALL

BC dominates Wingate, Mars Hill

WINGATE — Barton’s flag football team extended its winning streak Saturday with a pair of road victories over Wingate and Mars Hill. The Bulldogs (6-1) defeated host Wingate 38-27 before routing Mars Hill 69-0 at the Irwin Belk Complex.

Freshman quarterback Sawyer Rigdon led the way, throwing for 237 yards and four touchdowns against Wingate, including two scoring passes to teammates Zahnia Long and Valerie-Ange Batta. Rigdon also ran for a touchdown, and Barton’s defense recorded three interceptions to help secure the win. Wingate’s Jhenelle Francis accounted for 416 yards of total offense and four scores, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Bulldogs from taking the opener.

Barton dominated from the start against Mars Hill, building a 48-0 halftime lead en route to a 69-0 shutout, the team’s fourth of the season. Rigdon threw for 274 yards and six touchdowns, including five through the air, while adding a rushing score. Batta caught two more TD passes, and Barton’s defense contributed three scores.

With the weekend sweep, Barton finishes its road portion of the schedule on a high note and returns home Friday to host Mount St. Mary’s at 2 p.m. and Emmanuel at 4 p.m.

TENNIS

BC teams sweep Shorter at Michalak

Barton’s men’s and women’s tennis teams both came away with wins over Shorter on Saturday at the Michalak Tennis Complex, extending their respective Conference Carolinas momentum.

The men’s team (2-8, 2-2) edged the Hawks 4-3 in a tightly contested match. Sophomores Nicola Bottelberghs and Sean Maphosa, along with junior Fredrik Foss, combined for key singles and doubles victories. Maphosa’s comeback at No. 3 singles was pivotal; after dropping the first set 0-6, he rallied to take the next two 6-0, 6-3 over Shorter’s Bailey Liu. Bottelberghs continues to impress with four straight wins at first singles, helping Barton secure the narrow victory.

The Bulldog women’s squad (8-2, 4-0) extended its winning streak to seven matches with a 6-1 triumph over Shorter. Seniors Leonie Hellum-Lilleengen and Eulalia Pascual Biosca, along with junior Aarni Yellu, each contributed in both singles and doubles play. Hellum-Lilleengen now has a seven-match winning streak in singles, while Yellu has won six straight.

Both Bulldogs teams travel to Murfreesboro on Tuesday to take on conference rival Chowan, with matches scheduled for 2 p.m.

SOFTBALL

Barton settles for split at Shorter

ROME, Ga. — The Barton softball team split a Conference Carolinas doubleheader on the road Saturday at Shorter, dropping the opener 4-3 before bouncing back with a 7-1 victory in the nightcap.

In the first game, Shorter struck early as Anna Sanders’ two-run single in the first inning helped the Hawks hold off a late Barton rally. Madison Bishop pitched a complete game for Shorter, striking out eight to earn the win. For the Bulldogs (14-18, 5-9), senior shortstop MacKenzie Taylor and senior outfielder Makenzie Cyzick each recorded two hits and an RBI, but freshman pitcher Haley Inman took the loss.

Barton answered in the second contest with a strong offensive and pitching effort. Freshman Chaleigh Currin allowed just one unearned run while striking out six over five innings to pick up the win. Senior first baseman Savannah Olson and senior third baseman Destany Blake each had two hits and two RBIs, helping the Bulldogs cruise to the 7-1 victory. Rylee Gattis took the loss for Shorter.

The split moves Barton to 5-9 in league play. The Bulldogs return to conference action Wednesday with a doubleheader at Chowan in Murfreesboro, starting at 2 p.m.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Barton falls in second straight five-setter

The Barton men’s volleyball team (8-11, 3-5) dropped a second consecutive five-set match Saturday, falling 3-2 to Belmont Abbey (13-4, 8-1) at Wilson Gymnasium. The Crusaders captured the first two sets 25-21 before Barton rallied to take the next two, 22-25 and 18-25, but ultimately fell 15-7 in the decisive fifth.

Sophomore outside hitter Lawson Hink led the Bulldogs with 17 kills and added 13 digs for a double-double, totaling 44 kills across two matches. Setter Sammy DeBilzan contributed 41 assists. Barton struggled offensively, hitting just .094 for the match.

Belmont Abbey, paced by Zach Puentes’ 15 kills and Joseph Morris’ 38 assists, finished with 15 total blocks and extended its winning streak to three, completing the season sweep over Barton.

The Bulldogs travel to Catawba on Tuesday in Salisbury for a 7 p.m. nonconference matchup.

MEN’S LACROSSE

BC comes up short in late rally

The Barton men’s lacrosse team (4-6, 2-2) fell 12-11 to North Greenville (7-4, 3-1) Saturday on Senior Day at Electric Supply Company Field and Truist Stadium, despite scoring the final five goals of the contest.

The Bulldogs trailed 12-6 midway through the fourth quarter before mounting a furious comeback. Sophomore attacker Logan McGrath led Barton with three goals, while Marvin Johnson added two scores and an assist. Barton controlled much of the action, outshooting the Trailblazers 48-40 and collecting 38 ground balls to North Greenville’s 29.

North Greenville’s Ayden Sizemore scored three times to keep the Trailblazers ahead, and goalkeeper Matthew Desmond stopped 12 shots to preserve the win. Graduate student Luke Woollard recorded 10 saves for Barton in the setback.

The Bulldogs now turn their attention to Belmont Abbey on Saturday for a 3 p.m. conference matchup in Belmont.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Barton dominates on Senior Day

The Barton women’s lacrosse team (4-5, 2-1) celebrated Senior Day with a 15-2 rout of Southern Wesleyan (2-8, 1-3) Saturday at Truist Stadium. The Bulldogs led 11-1 at halftime and never looked back.

Sophomore midfielder Berghan Balparda scored five goals to lead the effort, while freshman attacker Reagan Fish added three. Barton controlled the game with a 45-8 advantage in shots, 44-25 in ground balls, and 34 forced turnovers. Freshman goalie Alexandra Ashton recorded three saves to earn the win.

Barton travels to Mount Olive on Wednesday for a conference matchup.

TRACK AND FIELD

Barton Shines at Elon Invitational

ELON — The Barton track and field teams turned in strong performances Friday at the Elon Invitational. On the women’s side, sophomore Angel Agyeman claimed first in the 100-meter dash (12.44 seconds) and helped the 400-meter relay squad, including Erica McClary, Shaliah Jones, and Keiarra Tutt, to a winning time of 47.37.

On the men’s side, Brandon Waller captured victories in both the 400-meter dash (48.98) and 800-meter run (1:57.28). Teammates Cameron Tucker and Zseven Tookes added second-place finishes in the 100-meter dash and triple jump, while the men’s 400-meter relay team finished runner-up at 42.26.

Barton returns to competition Saturday at the Adidas Trojan Challenge at the University of Mount Olive.

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