MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The Covenant and Huntingdon baseball teams went head-to-head in games two and three of the three-game series on Saturday afternoon. Having taken the first game of the series on Friday, Huntingdon (17-5, 2-1 GSAC) won the series with a 17-5 win in game one on Saturday before Covenant earned a split of the doubleheader pulling out game two 10-9.
Covenant (8-8, 1-2 GSAC) was led offensively by Scott Gillespie as he went 4-for-6 with five runs batted in, all of which came in game two, for the day. David Lockwood was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and an RBI in the second game. Sterling Witt added three hits in three at-bats with three runs scored in game two.
Game One
The Hawks got out to a large lead in the first inning when Jordan Freeman stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and promptly unloaded them with a grand slam homer to left field. Huntingdon added three more runs in the third inning with the key hit coming off the bat of Cameron Lewis. Lewis knocked home a pair of runs with a single to right-center that made it 6-0. Lewis later scored to give the home team a 7-0 lead.
Covenant got on the board in the fourth inning. Witt singled to leadoff the frame and scored on a throwing error by the Huntingdon third baseman. The Scots added two more runs in the sixth as Witt scored on another error and Gillespie crossed the plate on Kurt Wiles' fielder's choice.
Paul Phillips connected on his first home run of the season in the seventh inning. The two-out, two-run blast to right field brought home Ben Chambers and cut the Covenant deficit to 13-5.
Huntingdon, though, was too much offensively. The Hawks scored four runs in the fifth inning, two more in the sixth, and an additional four runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Huntingdon starting pitcher Grant Lowman (2-1) was awarded the win after pitching six innings, surrendering no earned runs, and striking out two. Micah Mabe (1-3) gets the loss for the Scots.
Witt, Chambers, Phillips, and Gillespie all went 1-for-2. Witt had two runs himself while Chambers, Phillips, and Gillespie each a run of their own. Phillips had two RBIs.
Game Two
After a harsh loss, the Scots pulled together and won game three 10-9 against the Hawks to split the doubleheader.
The Scots struck in the first inning after Gillespie hit a double to send Chris Rollins and Lockwood home. Drew Wixon then drove home Witt with a ground out that made it 3-0 Covenant. In the second inning, Lockwood drilled a two-out double to left-center field to score Zach Bennett all the way from first to give the Scots a 4-0 advantage.
In the top of the third, Witt and Gillespie led off the inning with back-to-back doubles, with Gillespie's driving home Witt. Wixon then reached on an error that allowed Gillespie to score. K.C. Simons greeted Huntingdon reliever Grant Hayes with a run-scoring single that plated Wixon to make it 7-0.
Covenant made it 9-1 in the fourth inning thanks to Gilliespie again coming through. The freshman singled home James Rollins and Lockwood for his fourth and fifth RBIs of the game.
Huntingdon began chipping away at its deficit in the fourth when they scored three runs. Grant Brown had an RBI ground out and Seth Currie singled home Kevin Plyler with two outs to make it 9-4. In the sixth, the Hawks scored three more times. Evan Agnew homered to leadoff the inning. Brown tripled home a run and Currie drove home another on a ground out that made it 9-7.
Covenant scored a much-needed insurance run in the top of the ninth. Simons reached on a bases-loaded fielder's choice that scored Witt and give the Scots a 10-7 lead.
Huntingdon answered with two runs in the bottom of the ninth and had a chance to tie it. Brown led off with a single and later scored on a Covenant error. Trailing 10-8 with two outs, Austin White singled home Joseph Odom and Freeman tried to score as well, but was thrown out at the plate by Gillespie in right field to end the game.
Eddie Jamerson (1-0) was awarded the win for the Scots as he went five innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits. Demarius Johnson was credited with his second save of the year. Huntingdon starter Cory Belyeu (4-1) was hit with the loss for the Hawks after going only 2.1 innings and allowing seven runs on 48 pitches.
Witt went 3-for-3 and scored three runs. Lockwood was 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI, while Gillespie went 3-for-3 with five RBIs and a run.
The Scots return home for single game against Point University on Tuesday, March 20 at 3 p.m.
