ROME, Ga. -- For the first time in 2011, the Covenant Scots baseball team lost a game.  Berry College beat them 5-4 in a heart breaking loss for the Scots.  In the loss, Luke Furuto and Jonathan Carter continued to swing hot bats, getting two hits apiece. 

In the top of the first, after two quick outs, Taylor Oldham came up and was hit in the arm by Berry starting pitcher Casey Gray.  He subsequently stole second, and scored when Furuto crushed an RBI double to left field.  A Rollins ground-out ended the inning.

Wes McDowell started on the hill for the Scots, and in the bottom of the first, kept the momentum in Covenant's dugout, retiring Berry with a one, two, three inning, striking out one.

Covenant had a chance to score again in the second when senior Jared Carlson led off with a single, and Carter got hit by the pitch.  With runners on first and second, Caleb Abney came up and put down a perfect bunt to the first baseman, advancing the runners to second and third with one out.  But Gray was able to settle down and get David Lockwood the next batter to ground-out, then struck out the next batter.
    
McDowell continued to keep Berry scoreless in the second, using ground balls to get the job done. 

The game was shaping into a pitchers' duel going into the third.  Furuto got a two out single and then stole second but was stranded when the next batter grounded out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the third, Berry left two on base, scoring none.  McDowell hit two of their batters with the pitch but got out of the inning when Brandyn Jackson grounded out to third basemen James Rollins to end the inning. 

In the fourth, Josh Dilbeck came in to relieve Gray.  Dilbeck walked Carlson, and then gave up an RBI double to the red hot Carter.  Carter stole third with no outs, and Lockwood cashed him in with one out with a hard hit ground ball to the third baseman who was not able to make the play. That would be all the damage though, and the Scots were now up 3-0.

Berry responded in the bottom half of the fourth.  After a lead-off double, Thomas Johnson stepped up and made it a 3-2 ballgame with a opposite field home run to right field.  McDowell was able to settle down and get the next three batters to fly out.

With Momentum on their side, Berry faced the heart of the Scots line-up: Harrison Fisher, Oldham, and Furuto. And Jon Stump, who relieved Dilbeck, retired them in order to end the top of the fifth. 

In the bottom half of the fifth, Sterling Witt relieved McDowell, striking out the first batter and getting the second batter to line out to Kurtis Wiles at second.  Corey Pitts then singled to right field and stole second base.  Berry tied the game after two straight passed balls in which Pitts scored on an unearned run.  Dremann then grounded out to Wiles.

Stump continued to pitch well in the sixth, getting an infield fly out and striking out the next two batters. 

In a tie game in the bottom of the sixth, Berry got through and scored two runs.  It started with a lead-off double to left field.  Witt got the next two batters out and it looked like the Scots might escape the jam.  But they scored two runs off back to back hits by Travis Blackburn and Drew McDuffie.  The score was now 5-3.

Facing their first deficit of the year, Covenant tried to answer in the seventh.  With one out, Wiles walked, and Fisher got a single.  The two then pulled a double steal making it second and third for Oldham.  Oldham hit a fly ball to center field which was caught.  Wiles then tagged and tried to score but was called out when the umpire deemed him to have missed the plate.  The play ended the seventh. 

In the bottom of the seventh, Witt pitched well to keep the Scots in the game with a quick three up three down inning.

Covenant, needing to score runs in the eighth, did so.  Rollins singled to left with one out and Carlson battled out a walk.  With first and second, Carter singled, and scored Rollins.  Carlson was then thrown out trying to take third base.  Trey Hillis came in to pitch and got the next batter to strike out. 

With a 5-4 game, Berry was looking to get a little insurance, but Brian Simons came in for Witt and held Berry scoreless on one hit.

It was now the ninth and Covenant had to score.  Hillis- Berry College's closer- stayed on to pitch. Lockwood lead off with a line out to second.  Wiles struck out, and Fisher ended the game with a ground-out to second. 

The Scots are now 4-1 on the year.  Their next game will be a double header at home against Toccoa Falls College, starting Saturday at 12:00pm.