LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN -- A six-run inning and homers from Alex Gonzalez and Brooks DuBose weren't quite enough for the Covenant baseball team in Friday's 12-10 loss against No. 12 Huntingdon in USA South action.
With the loss, Covenant falls to 11-13 overall and 4-8 in the USA South. Huntingdon, ranked No. 12 in the current D3baseball.com Top 25, moves up to 19-6 and 11-4.
Covenant scored two runs in the first, had a six-run fourth inning, and added two more in the seventh but Huntingdon would rally and then hold on for the victory.
The Scots led 8-5 at the end of the fourth, but Huntingdon rallied to bring in two runs in the fifth and four more in the seventh to take the lead for good. Trailing 11-8 entering the bottom of the seventh, Covenant responded with two more runs, but couldn't make the full comeback.
The Scots grabbed the lead in the first inning when Gonzalez hit a two-run home run over the left field fence, scoring Tyler Moore. The home run was Gonzalez's team-leading fourth of the season and gave the Scots a 2-1 lead.
Covenant's big inning came in the fourth when trailing 5-2. Donny Lewis singled through the right side to load the bases and Moore doubled down the left field line to drive in two runs for the Scots, bringing in Tommy Easley and Ken Alexander. The Scots got two more runs after Hunter Christian brought Lewis and Moore home with a single to left field.
John Mitchell found deep left field for a double that landed just short of the fence and gave the home team two more runs. The Scots concluded the inning with an 8-5 lead.
After Huntingdon broke away to an 11-8 lead in the top of the seventh, DuBose went the distance to put the Scots back in contention, bringing home Christian to make it 11-10. The homer was DuBose's second of the year, and second in as many games.
Some tough pitching from the Hawks prevented the Scots from driving in any more runs in the final two innings.
Huntingdon starting pitcher Tucker Duke (4-1) gets the win and reliever Ryan Smith gets his first save on the season. Covenant's Adam Carver (1-2) is credited with the loss.
Huntingdon out-hit Covenant, 20-10. Garrett Breland led the Hawks with five hits and four RBIs. Chris Fisher went 4-for-4 from the plate with four RBIs.
For Covenant, Tommy Easley led the way with two hits. The Scots received one hit from eight other batters, along with two RBIs apiece from Moore, Gonzalez, Christian, Mitchell, and DuBose.
UP NEXT
Covenant will conclude the series against Huntingdon with a doubleheader tomorrow. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.
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