MADISONVILLE, Tenn. -- Covenant College ended the year strong, taking a double-header sweep of the Hiwassee College Tigers by scores of 10-5 and 12-1. Home-runs were the story of the day, as the Scots knocked 8 out on the day. Taylor Oldham led the Scots with 3 home-runs, and was followed closely by James Rollins and Jonathan Carter, who each had 2 home-runs. David Lockwood added a home-run in game 2 when he hit a grand-slam in the 4th inning.
Game one was closer than Covenant would have liked, but they were able to pull it out and advance to 23-14 going into their last game of the season. Oldham set the tone early with a perfectly placed bunt down the third base line. Rollins stepped up and made the game 2-0 Scots, with a long ball.
Covenant would go up 6-0 in the top of the 3rd but saw their lead dwindle when the Tigers were able to scratch out 5 runs to make it a 1 run game.
Covenant responded with runs in the 5th and 6th innings. Senior Jared Carlson hit an RBI single. Then later Carter and Oldham each hit home-runs to put the Scots up 10-5.
Tyler Smith pitched 5 innings. Though not his normal self, he pitched well enough to earn his team leading 10th win and of the 5 runs he gave up, just 3 were earned. He ended the regular season 10-1 with a 2.30 ERA.
Demarius Johnson closed the game out. He threw 2 perfect innings while striking out 4 batters. He continues to show dominance from the pen and ended the year with 69 strike-outs in 40 innings.
Carter, Oldham, Rollins, and Harrison Fisher combined to go 8-for-14 with 6 RBIs.
Game 2 saw the Scots roll to their 24th win. Starter Andre Glover was backed by 4 home-runs.
Oldham, who went 3-for-4 in the second game with 3 RBIs, hit a 2 run home-run in the top of the first. Rollins, who batted after him, came up and hit a towering fly ball that cleared the left field wall. The home-runs were the Scots first back to back home-runs of the year.
Glover never let the Tigers have a chance to make it a close game. In 4 innings he dominated them, giving up 0 runs, 3 hits. He also struck out 5 batters. He ended the year with a 7-4 record, and an ERA of 2.05, which led the Covenant starters.
"I feel like [the majority of] our pitching staff pitched to their potential," said Glover "and we made some moves that benefited the team. As a staff, we hit a bump or two but that's just the game of baseball. But come playoff time, we will step up our game and pitch to our full potential."
Lockwood hit his 2nd home-run of his freshman campaign with a grand-slam in the 4th inning. Oldham added his 3rd of the day an inning later. Oldham ended the year with 13 bombs which led not only the team but the entire NCCAA. "It was a solid win," said Oldham. "Everyone was seeing the ball well, and this is a great time to get hot with the playoffs coming up."
James Rollins, whose .393 batting average led the team, noted "It was a good regular season, though at times we struggled with inconsistencies. All in all, it was a great season to be a part of, and we look forward to carrying our success into the postseason."
At 24-14, the Scots had their best season in school history. Their road to Ohio begins Thursday, May 12 in the NCCAA Mid-East Region Playoffs, in Bristol, Tennessee. Opponents and game times are to be determined.
