MAYFIELD, Ky. -- Covenant fell behind early, but battled back with three runs in the sixth inning and one more in the seventh inning as the Scots defeated top-seed Mid-Continent 5-3 in game three of the NCCAA Mid-East Region Tournament on Tuesday night. Covenant advances in the winners bracket with the win and will face Bluefield College on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Covenant was shut down offensively for the first five innings by Mid-Continent starter Tomas Rodriguez. The Scots loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth inning on three straight singles, but Rodriguez worked out of the jam with a strikeout and a double play.
The Covenant bats awoke just in time in the sixth inning. Facing runners at second and third with two outs, Paul Phillips was summoned to pinch-hit and delivered a two-run single to right field that scored Will Cleland and Scott Gillespie to tie the game at 3-3. Jonathan Carter followed with a single of his own to score Phillips and give Covenant its first lead of the game at 4-3.
James Rollins tripled with one out in the seventh inning and was brought home on a Sterling Witt sacrifice fly to give the Scots an extra run that made it 5-3.
Mid-Continent jumped on Covenant starting pitcher Tyler Smith with a run in the first followed by two more in the second inning. Richard Arias' double plated Hunter Bolden to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead in the first inning. In the second, Daniel Edwards made it 3-1 with his double down the right field line that scored both Trevor Buford and Drew Bennett.
Smith (5-3) settled down over the middle innings, including retiring nine straight batters at one point, to receive the win. The senior went all seven innings and allowed three runs on six hits, while striking out six and walking none. Mid-Continent's Rodriguez (5-7) is hit with the loss as he surrendered four runs, only two earned, on six hits in 5.2 innings.
Cleland went 2-for-3 with a run scored for Covenant. Uriel Hawkins and Buford each collected two hits for Mid-Continent.
For complete coverage of the NCCAA Mid-East Region Tournament, click here.
