BRISTOL, Tenn. -- The Covenant Scots baseball team battled through a shaky start and nail-biting finish to knock out Oakland City University by a score of 6-4 Wednesday afternoon. With the victory, the Scots avoid elimination and advance one step closer to the region championship. Results of today's afternoon/evening games will determine Covenant's next opponent, whether it be Bluefield College, King College, or Mid- Continent University.
The Scots attacked early in today's contest, scoring 2 runs prior to making any outs. Harrison Fisher singled, and Luke Furuto and James Rollins walked before Taylor Oldham sent the first pitch he saw deep into the left field corner for a 2-RBI single.
In the bottom half of the inning, OCU responded with two runs of their own, capitalizing on Covenant's fifth error of the tournament.
In the top of the second, a pair of back-to-back doubles with two away helped plate Fisher for the lead, but that lead would vanish once again in the bottom of the inning. The Mighty Oaks sent 7 batters to the plate in their frame of the second but left 3 runners on base, and Tyler Smith managed to pitch through the inning relatively unscathed.
Smith and the Scots settled down from that point on and eventually took the lead for good in the fourth.
Chris Rollins' nifty bunt for a base hit helped start the inning where the Scots would score 3. After being moved to second via a sacrifice bunt from
Kurtis Wiles, Rollins scored on a second straight double from Fisher. Fisher would then come around to score 2 batters later when
James Rollins sent his seventh home run of the year just inside the left field foul pole. That home run would prove critical as the Scots ran into trouble 3 innings later.
In the seventh, Demarius Johnson struck out the side. However, in between each of those outs, OCU was adding base-runners and chiseling away at Covenant's lead. With one out in the inning, third baseman Eric Barnes doubled off the left field wall. With two away, catcher Joe Kimbro singled to left to move Barnes over to third. Two batters later, the Mighty Oaks were down 6-4 with the bases loaded. A base hit might have meant a tie game, and a ball sent to a gap could have ended Covenant's season. But Johnson did what he has been so accustomed to doing all year when he fanned the opposing hitter on nothing but strikes.
Fisher led the way for the Scots today, going 3-for-3 from the plate, driving in a run and scoring 3 more. Chris Rollins went 2-for-3, and Furuto, James Rollins, and Oldham each went 1-for-3.
Smith is now 11-1 this season, while Johnson picks up his fifth save.
Scenarios for tomorrow include a match-up with Mid-Continent University or the Bluefield/ King loser, all of which is dependent on the Asbury/ Mid-Continent result. A victory for Mid-Continent will pit the Scots against Mid-Continent. However, a victory for Asbury means a date with either Bluefield or King College. For times and opponents, check out the Scots schedule page.
For more information, go to the official tournament website.
Other related links:
Live Stats (for Covenant's games)
Bracket
