TAMPA, Fla. - The Columbus State University baseball team posted an early season statement victory on Saturday taking down No. 5 Catawba 6-2. The neutral-site game took place at Steinbrenner Field at the New York Yankees' Spring Training complex in Tampa, Fla.

Down 1-0 in the fourth, the Cougars (2-0) used some two-out magic to get on the board. With Bryson Horne on first, three straight CSU hits gave the Cougars a 3-1 lead. Dane Bullock and Bryce Delevie hit back-to-back doubles while Matthew McDade added a run-scoring single to put the Cougars in front.

Columbus State scored a single run in the seventh and two in the eighth for insurance, but it wasn't needed. For the second straight game, the Cougar bullpen was fantastic over the late innings. In his Cougar debut, Noah Windhorst twirled three scoreless innings to bridge the gap to Brady Kais for the ninth. Like he did Friday, Kais tossed a scoreless inning to secure the victory.

"This was a good team win," said Columbus State head coach Greg Appleton. "We were down early, but the guys got the bats going once we went through the order."

"I was thrilled with our pitching today. Devin [Dudal] grinded out there and Noah was brilliant. It's a short turnaround for tomorrow's game, but it would be nice to get out of here with three wins."

Catawba (0-2) got on the board in the first inning after two Cougar fielding errors helped the cause. Devin Dudal would settle in from there. The righty struck out four over the second and third, and in the fifth, he induced a rally-killing double play to keep CSU ahead 3-2. 

The Indians' best chance to do damage came in the sixth when Windhorst entered the game. Hunter Shepherd greeted him with a single before a walk put the freshman in major trouble. However, the Griffin, Ga. native showed his pose, getting a strikeout and an inning-ending double play to escape the scare. 

Dudal (1-0) earned the win allowing two runs, one earned, in five innings of work. He had four strikeouts while issuing two walks. 

Horne was 3-for-4 with a double and scored twice for Columbus State. Robert Brooks (2-for-3, run) and Matthew McDade both added two hits. Bullock (1-for-3) had a multi-RBI performance. 

Up Next

Columbus State will wrap up its Florida road trip with a game against Barton on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. Barton is 2-0 this weekend as well after defeating Saint Leo 7-6 on Saturday. 

Inside the Box Score

• This weekend, Bryson Horne is 7-for-9 with two doubles for the Cougars. He has also scored three times.

• It was Devin Dudal's first start as a Cougar. In 2019, Dudal saved 13 games for CSU earning All-Southeast Region honors. 

• In the two games this weekend, Columbus State's pitching staff has allowed just three hits after the sixth inning. 

• Dating back to last season, Robert Brooks has now reached base in 11 straight games. Matthew McDade (six), Drew Webb (five), and Bryce Delevie (five) all extended their hitting streaks. 

• Columbus State has now won its last 15 games against nonconference foes. 

• The Cougars improve to 3-0 all-time against Catawba. It was the first-ever regular season meeting between the two programs.