Lookout Mountain, GA- Despite a very rocky start to the year, Covenant's softball team ended their regular season this evening with a sweep of future conference foe Maryville College (16-20, 10-0 GSAC). The two wins lift Covenant's overall record to 9-27 and send the ladies into the post-season on a high note, having won 9 of their last 13.
Kim Cuticchia brought her season batting average up to .288 with her 6-7 outing. In game two, she went 4 for 4, stealing 2 bases and scoring 3 times.
Beth Harris and Morgan Booker each tallied another home run to their season count, and Chelsea Krafft (8-15, 3.48) struck out 7 and walked 4 in her seven innings pitched.
In game one, Maryville jumped out on top with a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Beth Harris' 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning gave Covenant the lead back. The Lady Scots then opened up their lead in the bottom of the second with 7 more runs, then tacked on one more in the third.
An inning and a half later and the "8-run rule" was put into effect, stopping the game at 10-1 through 5.
In game two, Maryville again took the early advantage with a run on no hits in the top of the first, and Covenant followed suit in the bottom of the inning with two of their own.
Freshman Sonja Townsend's 5 innings on the rubber in game two saw her give up 2 earned runs (3 total) on 6 hits. She also struck out 2.
Covenant's lead eventually extended to 5-2 when Maryville edged closer with a small rally in the fifth and then tied it with 2-run homer in the sixth.
With the game tied at 5, Covenant wasted no time in reclaiming the lead: Kimi Peebles reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the sixth, beating out short-stop Amanda Bennett's desperation throw. Jennifer Jobe then reached base on a fielder's choice, causing Kimi Peebles to be out number one.
Christine Core and Kim Cuticchia then had back-to-back singles, Cuticchia's scoring Jobe from second. Two batters later, with runners on second and third and two out, Morgan Booker added a few insurance runs with an opposite field home run that caromed off the scoreboard. The 3-run shot, her third of the year, put Covenant up 9-5.
In the top of the seventh, Chelsea Krafft earned two of her strikeouts as Maryville went three up, three down.
The Lady Scots will now await seeding for the NCCAA Mid-East region tournament which is to be held in Mayfield, KY May 4th and 5th.
