AVE MARIA, Fla. -- With partly cloudy conditions and temperatures in the 80s, the Scots finished up their spring break trip to Florida against the Spring Arbor Cougars and the Ave Maria Gyrenes for the second day in a row on Saturday. The Scots split the games coming home with a win and a loss.
Game 1 – Spring Arbor University (L, 4-9)
The Scots went up against the Cougars for the second time. Covenant fell to Spring Arbor 9-4 in the seven inning affair.
The Scots managed to score the first run of the game in the top of the first after David Lockwood hit a double with Kurt Wiles on first to score a run. Spring Arbor quickly responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead.
The Scots added single runs in the second and third innings. K.C. Simons had a run-scoring single while Lockwood scored on an error. Spring Arbor answered with a single run in the second and two more in the third to make it 5-3. The Cougars scored in every inning they batted. The Scots managed to pull out one last run by Sterling Witt after a sacrifice fly by Jonathan Carter, but it wasn't enough to beat Spring Arbor.
Dane Staples for the Cougars was awarded the win with three strikeouts and only allowing three runs on four hits. Micah Mabe (1-2) was saddled with the loss for Covenant with only one strikeout and allowing seven runs and seven hits.
Scott Gillespie ended 2-for-4, while Lockwood went 2-for-3.
Game 2 – Ave Maria University (W, 5-4)
The Scots turned their fortune around in the second game of the day with a 5-4 win over Ave Maria.
The Gyrenes struck first in the bottom of the first with a single run that came on a ground out from Alex Sanchez. The Scots were shut out until the top of the fourth when two runs crossed the plate. James Rollins had an RBI ground out and Chris Rollins capped the rally with a two-out single to center field that scored Witt. Ave Maria managed to score three at the bottom of the same inning to regain the lead at 4-2.
With darkness creeping in, Covenant made a late push in the seventh inning. Back-to-back singles by Drew Wixon and Simons, along with Wiles being hit with a pitch, loaded the bases. Lockwood then nailed a triple to right-center field that cleared the bases and gave the Scots a 5-4 advantage. Demarius Johnson quickly set down the Gyrenes in the bottom half of the inning to secure the win.
Covenant's Alec Mitchell (1-0) was credited with the win with two strikeouts and only two hits in 1.2 innings. Demarius Johnson was credited with the save, his first of the year. Chris Rheaume (2-2) of the Gyrenes was given the loss.
Lockwood ended with 3-for-4 and even had three RBIs as well as a run of his own. K.C. Simons went 2-for-3 and a run.
The Scots play again on Tuesday, March 13 in Atlanta, Ga., for a single game against Oglethorpe University.
