LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN -- Covenant opened the year off strong, getting two wins against Berea College Saturday afternoon. The first game, the Scots came out tough behind the shut out pitching of Tyler Smith, Demarius Johnson, and Shane Ludwick, winning 7-0. The second game went down to the wire, but the Scots still came away victorious 4-3.
In game one, the Scots were led by disciplined hitting and power pitching. Starting pitcher Tyler Smith set the pace for the rest of the staff by pounding the strike zone early and often. At one point in the second inning, he struck out three straight batters. Smith ended the day with five punchouts in three shutout innings along with the win. He also gave up just two hits and walking none.
Covenant's runs came in the second inning when Berea's starter suddenly lost control. With one out, senior Brian Hill hit Jonathan Carter, gave up a single to Witt, then hit the next three batters which lead to the Scots first runs of the year. The Scots were up 4-0 after senior Luke Furuto reached base by yet another Covenant hit by pitch, and Rollins singled to left, scoring Wiles. The Scots scored again in the next inning after Carter led off with a single, and Witt scored him on another single to center.
The Scots were now in control, and turned things over to Johnson, who pitched three innings and struck out five, giving up no hits and walking two. He struck out the first batter, then walked the next two but settled down and struck out the side to end the fourth.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Carter continued to swing a hot stick, getting a two run double to the gap in left field. The game ended when Ludwick struck out Berea's Jerrod Moore in the bottom of the seventh.
In the second game, Covenant picked up where they left off. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Taylor Oldham, who has caught the eye of many a pro scout, took an inside fastball deep over the left field wall. Glover started on the hill for the Scots and after a smooth first inning, gave up an unearned run in the second on a sac fly. But the offense continued to put runs on the board after a scoreless third inning from Glover, and Oldham struck again, getting an RBI single to center which scored Fisher.
In the fourth, McDowell came in to pitch and went three up three down, striking out two. This set the tempo for another big inning for the Scots who scored two runs when third basemen James Rollins lined a single to left.
The game got close again when McDowell encountered trouble with two outs and gave up two runs. Simons then came in relief and got Zack Blanken to ground out to Oldham at short to end the inning. Simons stayed in the game to close it out in the ninth and, after a lead-off single, got three straight fly outs to end the game. "Our pitchers stepped up and we had some key hits," said Rollins who went 2 for 5 with 3 RBIs on the day. "It was a fun day."
Tyler Smith added, "The pitching staff did a great job today. We attacked the zone and challenged their hitters. Getting ahead in the count is something we emphasize, and we did a good job of that today."
David Lockwood, the only freshman in the starting lineup, commented, "Our team has great chemistry, and I'm excited to see what we will be able to do this year."
