ROME, Ga. -- The Covenant baseball team scored eight runs on 15 hits, but the Scots could not hold off host Berry on Tuesday evening in Rome, Ga., as the Vikings earned a 12-8 victory in non-conference action.

Covenant suffers just its third loss in the last 17 games and goes to 20-8 on the season. Berry improves to 22-10 overall. Berry also goes to 2-0 against the Scots this season.

Luke Harvey and Perry Rigby both drove in two runs and every Covenant starter tallied at least one hit on the evening. KC Simons, Scott Gillespie, David Lockwood and Forrest Hunter each had two hits apiece. Z Arima and Forrest Hunter also added an RBI each.

Berry gained 9-1 lead after six innings of play, but Covenant chipped away at the deficit and made it a 9-7 game heading into the bottom of the eighth. The Scots scored four times in the seventh with a two-run single from Rigby highlighting the frame. Will Cleland produced an RBI fielder's choice and Lockwood had an RBI double in the seventh.

In the eighth, the Scots would make it 9-7 with two more runs, both coming on Harvey's two-run single to center field that scored Simons and Paul Phillips. Berry answered with three runs in its half of the eighth to put the game away.

Stephen Gaylor finished 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs for the Vikings. Doug Heath also had three hits with two RBIs. Braxton Teal (1-0) picks up the win in relief as he went four scoreless innings.

Covenant starter Jordan Lester (4-2) gets the loss for the Scots as he lasted 1.2 innings.

Covenant will travel to North Carolina for the USA South Spring Festival starting on Thursday. The Scots will face Methodist for three games beginning Thursday at 7 p.m. Covenant holds first place in the USA South.