Bluefield, VA- Sophomore pitcher Tyler Smith (3-1) has been on fire for the Covenant College Scots as of late, and when he took the mound against the NCCAA's number one ranked Bluefield College Rams on Friday night, there was nothing the 17-7-1 Rams could do to quench his powerful right arm. Indeed, not even Bluefield star Devin Good was "good" enough to help the Rams overcome Covenant, as the Scots took game one on Friday by a 14-3 score. In the contest, Smith threw two strikeouts and allowed only three runs off nine hits, while his offensive teammates cranked out fourteen runs on seventeen hits, including a Jared Carlson two-run homer in the top of the 8th to seal the deal.
Saturday's doubleheader saw the Scots split games with the Bluefield hosts, as Devin Good rediscovered his top form and led the Rams past Covenant pitchers Andre Glover and Zach Holz in the Scot's game two, 7-1 defeat. The Scots would wrap up the series, though, in game three, as Demarius Johnson threw four strikeouts before being relieved by Brian Simons in Covenant's 7-5 victory. Jared Carlson and Taylor Oldham provided a majority of the Scots' offense with five hits and five runs coming from their bats.
By taking two games against Bluefield, Covenant downed the NCCAA's top seed, returned to five-hundred with an 11-11 record, and beat a fellow AAC conference member all in one weekend. With their next game slated for Tuesday at Sewanee, the Scots knew they would need the two days off for rest and preparation as they prepared to earn another victory and reclaim a winning record.
Tuesday's match-up presented the Covenant College Scots with the opportunity to return to winning form, as a victory over host Sewanee would put the team at 12-11 on the year, and provide the team with a large step towards eclipsing last season's 15-35 record. Sterling Witt started at pitcher for Covenant, while Wes McDowell waited to relieve from the bullpen. However, there would hardly be need for any relief, as the Scots took the game to their opposition with solid pitching and hitting. Witt allowed only one run and threw a strikeout through six innings before McDowell took the mound to close out the bottom of the 7th. The ten-run rule came into effect as well, as solid hitting from Taylor Oldham, Luke Furuto, and Jonathan Carter gave Covenant some much-appreciated breathing room, and an early trip home on the winds of an 11-1 victory.
Now at 12-11, the Scots will hope to positively widen the gap between their wins and losses when they square off against Montreat in a three-game series this Friday.
