SALISBURY, N.C. --- Sam Hunter went 4-for-5 at the plate while Colt Wilkins and Braeden Major combined on an eight-hit shutout as 11th-ranked Catawba downed visiting Tusculum 7-0 Friday night at Newman Park in the South Atlantic Conference opener for both teams.

Catawba (5-1, 1-0 SAC) piled on 14 hits including three-hit performances by Brandon Crabtree and Matthew Connolly.

Wilkens (2-0) tossed seven strong innings as he scattered five hits, four walks and recorded five strikeouts. Major pitched the final two frames where he worked around three hits and notched a pair of strikeouts.

Tusculum (4-4, 0-1 SAC) mounted threats throughout the game but the Pioneers hit into three inning-ending double plays which thwarted TU's offensive efforts.

Tusculum's Ryan Ortega went 3-for-4 with a double, while Jake Absher and Evan Goins each tallied a pair of singles.

Catawba scored in the first when Hunter led off with a double and moved to third on a fly out. He would score on a TU fielding error to take a 1-0 lead.

In the third inning, Crabtree and Hunter Atkins led off with back-to-back singles and they would move up a base on a bunt. Crabtree scored on a wild pitch and Connolly would drive in Atkins with a RBI single.

In the sixth, Malachi Cloud led off with a single and moved to second on a bunt. After a strikeout, Cloud stole third and scored on Hunter's RBI single to center. Hunter would post a stolen base and come into score on Crabtree's double to extend the lead to 5-0.

The Catawba Indians tacked on a pair of runs in the eighth thanks to Chrismon's two-RBI triple down the left field line.

Tusculum starter Owen Canter (0-1) suffered the loss as he went 5.2 innings, allowed four runs on seven hits, three walks and four strikeouts.

The teams will wrap up the weekend series on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.