MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Covenant baseball team opened the Rhodes Classic on Friday with a pair of losses. The Scots fell to Huntingdon 12-6 in the opener before being defeated 7-3 by No. 7-ranked Rhodes in the second game.
The contest against Huntingdon does not go towards Covenant's USA South record. The Scots drop to 5-3 with the losses.
GAME ONE: Huntingdon 12, Covenant 6
Covenant pounded out 15 hits and had five players record multi-hit games, but the Scots could not slow down the Huntingdon offense in a 12-6 loss.
Trenton Nobles went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and a walk, while Devin Cerrato, Luke Harvey, Alex Kerr and Perry Rigby all had two hits apiece. Rigby, Caleb Bloye and Ryan Gosney all added RBIs in the defeat.
Covenant scored twice in the first as Nobles drove in both runs with a two-out double that brought in Kerr and Bloye. After Huntingdon took a 3-2 lead, the Scots tied the score in the top of the third as Gosney singled home Kerr with two away.
Huntingdon scored three runs in the third to grab a 6-3 lead, but Covenant got one back in the fourth on a Bloye RBI ground out. The Hawks added two more runs in their half of the fourth and led the rest of the way.
Scots starter Matt Reitz (0-1) picks up the loss after going five innings and allowing four earned runs.
Huntingdon's Zack Watson (2-1) gets the win despite giving up 11 hits. CJ Sauce came on for the final three innings to receive credit for a save.
GAME TWO: No. 7 Rhodes 7, Covenant 3
Covenant hung with nationally-ranked Rhodes but the host Lynx scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to open up a four-run lead and take a 7-3 victory in Friday's second game.
Forrest Hunter went 2-for-4 for Covenant, while Rigby hit his first home run of the seasons and was 1-for-4 with two runs scored in the contest.
Garrett KristonGarrett Kriston (2-1) struck out eight in six innings of work, but gets the loss after allowing five earned runs in his outing. Relievers Alec Mitchell and Ray Brooks combined to throw two scoreless frames and tally four strikeouts combined.
Rhodes went ahead 3-0 with three runs all coming in the bottom of the third. Rigby's home run, a solo shot, cut the Scots' deficit to 3-1 in the top of the fourth but Rhodes answered with a run in its half of the fourth for a 4-1 lead.
Covenant got as close as 4-3 with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Bloye reached on an error in the fifth and enabled Julien Amorelli to score. Hunter doubled home Rigby in the sixth to get the Scots within one.
But a three-run seventh innings broke the game open again for Rhodes as the Lynx held on for the win.
Rhodes starting pitcher Daniel Morris (2-1) notches the victory behind eight innings of work in which he allowed one earned run. Bill Munson and Ryan Olive had three hits apiece for the Lynx.
UP NEXT
Covenant will conclude the Rhodes Classic on Saturday by facing nationally-ranked Webster at 11:30 a.m. eastern time.
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