FEBRUARY 28– On Tuesday, the Covenant baseball team took on No. 2 Birmingham-Southern for a 2:00 PM mid-week matchup. Only the third game of the season for the Scots, the Panthers would be a significantly higher-level opponent for Covenant. This contest was the first of two scheduled meetings between the teams for the 2023 season. 
 
The first four innings of play between the Scots and the Panthers were hard-fought, as neither team could gain a clear advantage over the other. However, the fifth inning began a series of unfortunate events for Covenant, resulting in an 11-3 loss in nine innings. 
 
Giving up 11 runs on only eight hits from BSC, the Scots were plagued with nine walks, four HBPs, and three defensive errors that let the game slip away. The free baserunners afforded to the Panthers by the Scots led to a deficit that proved to be too much to overcome for Covenant. 
 
Sophomore Scotty Smith started on the mound for the Scots, pitching 3.1 innings while giving up four runs (three earned) on four hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. Juniors Judah O'Neal and Austin Clark both made relief appearances with O'Neal going 3.2 innings and Clark throwing just a single inning. Senior Kenny Mills closed out the game on the mound for Covenant, making the defensive switch from centerfield to pitcher for the ninth inning. 
 
The bats were alive for the Scots on offense, racking up seven hits off of BSC as well as three walks. Senior catcher Harrison Adelgren had an outstanding performance at the plate, ending the game 3-for-3 with three singles and a walk. Junior left-fielder Wes Dusek drove in a pair of runs for Covenant with his hard-hit single in the second inning. 
 
The Scots will have another chance against Birmingham-Southern during spring break, as Covenant will travel down to take on the Panthers again for another mid-week matchup. 

UP NEXT 
Covenant will resume action on the baseball diamond this weekend as they will host Emory for a double-header (9&7 innings) on Saturday, beginning at 12:00 PM. The Scots will continue playing throughout spring break with seven games scheduled from March 4-11. 

CONNECT WITH THE SCOTS
Be sure to follow the Scots all season long on athletics.covenant.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news and other information.