EMERSON, Ga. -- The Covenant baseball team led 5-4 in the sixth inning, but a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh was the fatal blow as the Scots fell 10-5 to Bryan on a rainy night at the LakePoint Sports Complex in Emerson.
The game was a late addition to the schedule as Covenant (1-5) had its three-game series against Emory & Henry rained out for the weekend. Bryan (12-0), a member of the NAIA and the Appalachian Athletic Conference, remains unbeaten on the year.
Covenant got on the board first in the second inning when the Scots capitalized on a leadoff single from Tyler Moore, one of two hits on the day for Moore, a walk and a Bryan error before Jonah Carignan lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that plated Moore. Bryan took a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the inning on Jacob Justice's two-run homer to left-center field.
After Covenant tied the game at 2-2 on a Moore RBI single in the third inning, Bryan answered with a pair of runs in its half of the third to grab a 4-2 lead.
The Scots scored twice in the fifth inning to knot the score once again. Aggressiveness on the basepaths paid off as a Trenton Nobles, Caleb Bloye double steal resulted in a throwing error that allowed Nobles to score making it 4-3. Later in the inning, CJ Edmond ripped a single to bring in Bloye and even the score at 4-4. Covenant then took a one-run lead in the sixth when Jay Epperson, pinch-running after Carignan led off with a double, scored on his stolen base and subsequent error.
Bryan tied the game with a Cody Young sacrifice fly in the sixth inning and then took the lead for good in the seventh. Covenant had a chance to regain the lead in the top of the seventh, before Bryan's rally, but a liner off the bat of Edmond was snagged by Bryan second baseman Tyler Scott and saved a pair of runs.
With two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the seventh, Bryan loaded the bases and Tucker Cain delivered a grand slam, his fourth home run of the year, to right-center field make it 9-5 in favor of the Lions. Bryan would add one more run in the eighth for the final tally.
Moore was the only Covenant player to record multiple hits as he went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Nobles, Bloye, Edmond, Kalon Smith and Carignan each had a hit. Matt Reitz made the start for the Scots and lasted 2.2 innings before giving way to Taylor Bloye, who tossed 2.1 scoreless frames. Drew Bradley (0-2) got the loss in relief.
Bryan starter Arinson Martinez struck out 11 over five innings of work. Joseph Cuomo (2-0) picked up the win out of the bullpen. Cain finished 3-for-4 with a home run and six RBIs for the Lions.
UP NEXT
Covenant will host Elmira on Monday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
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