Covenant's baseball team won one out of three from Union College over the weekend, then defeated Atlanta Christian on Monday.
The Scots traveled north to Barbourville, Ky., to face the Appalachian Athletic Conference powerhouse Union. Last year, the Bulldogs ended their season ranked #14 in the NAIA top 25, and this year were ranked #16 in the pre-season coaches' poll.
In the series opener Friday night, Union right-hander Brandon Hedrick gave up only 2 hits and struck out 11. Yet the Scots still managed two runs. Tyler Smith's effort on the mound for the Scots was just as impressive; he gave up only two earned runs on two hits. But a failure to convert hits into runs ultimately proved to be fatal for Covenant as Union took game one 4-2.
Saturday, the teams competed in a double-header giving the Scots a chance to redeem themselves from the previous night and perhaps even take the series. Covenant made a step in that direction in the middle game, thanks to a team effort in which 5 different Scots recorded an RBI. Luke Furuto and James Rollins combined for 5-7, and Andre Glover and Wesley McDowell's performance on the mound was just enough to claim victory.
In the final game, Covenant's woes from Friday night returned, and Union took the rubber match 9-3. Solid pitching from the Bulldogs saw the Scots struggle to score runs again, and quality hitting from Union forced Covenant to go deep into its bullpen.
The Scots returned home on Monday with the hopes of getting back on the winning track against Atlanta Christian College (9-11), who had lost 8 of their last 9. During the nine-inning affair, Covenant jumped out to an early lead in the first inning with the help of 4 walks issued by ACC starter Jacob Moore. But the Chargers had not yet counted themselves out; in the top of the third, a string of base hits helped propel them to a 3-2 advantage.
Two innings later, however, Covenant rallied and scored 5 to regain the lead. First baseman Ty McTier had a 2-RBI double and a run scored in that inning.
The Scots are now 5-3 on the year and will play at home against the 0-6 Cavaliers of UVA-Wise Friday and Saturday in another three-game series. Covenant's slug-fest against Wise last year saw the Scots drop 2 out of 3.