Lauren Johns had seven RBIs in game one to set a new Covenant program record and the Lady Scots softball team swept USA South foe Maryville on Tuesday afternoon. Covenant won game one 14-5 and then 5-2 in the day's second game.
The bats were going for the Lady Scots all afternoon as they pounded out 19 runs on 25 hits in the two games combined.
Covenant has won three of its last four games now and improves to 5-9 overall on the season and 3-5 inside the USA South. Maryville drops to 3-19 overall and 2-8 in league play.
GAME ONE: Covenant 14, Maryville 5
Johns went 3-for-4 with a home run and seven RBIs to lead the Lady Scots' 14-run, 13-hit attack in the 14-5 victory in game one.
The seven RBIs for Johns sets a new program record previously held by three players who recorded five RBIs in a game. Beth Harris was the last Covenant player to drive in five runs in a game back in 2012 against Berry.
Johns did not have a single RBI until the fourth inning when she drove in Jordan Brett and Morgan Lane with a single up the middle. In the sixth, Johns belted her first home run of the season, a three-run shot, that gave Covenant a 10-1 lead. Johns added two more RBIs in the seventh with a double to left-center field to set the new program mark.
Covenant starting pitcher Cori Hilt benefited from the offensive outburst. Hilt (3-4) went all seven innings and allowed three earned runs to pick up her first win of the day.
The Lady Scots scored three times in the first inning as Chandler Shepherd scored when Brett reached on a throwing error and later Kendall Whann drove in two runs with a double to left field. Covenant added a single run in the the third when Whann reached on an error that allowed Brett to score to make it 4-0.
Covenant added three more runs in the fourth highlighted by Johns' two-RBI double and Lane's RBI single. Johns' homer in the sixth accounted for all three runs and in the seventh Brett and Johns each had two-RBI hits.
Brett finished 3-for-5 with four runs and two RBIs while Shepherd added two hits and three runs in four at-bats. Lane, Madison Quirk, Whann and Nicole White had a hit apiece.
Maryville's Kayla Aloisi (2-8) is hit with the loss for the host Scots. Hannah Youngdeer led Maryville with a 3-for-4 effort at the dish.
GAME TWO: Covenant 5, Maryville 2
In a lower-scoring affair, Covenant received an outstanding outing in the circle from Hilt and Lane drove in three runs to propel the Lady Scots to a 5-2 win and a doubleheader sweep.
Hilt (4-4) went the distance surrendering two earned runs on four hits with eight strikeouts. She faced just three batters over the minimum in her complete-game gem. Hilt also went 1-for-3 with a run scored at the plate.
Like in game one, the Lady Scots scored first as they plated two in the second inning. Lane singled home Hilt and Brett followed with a single of her own that scored Shepherd.
After Maryville made it 2-1 in its half of the second, Covenant scored three runs in the fourth. Kaitlyn Sirmons and Shepherd recorded consecutive hits to leadoff the inning and Lane drove them both home with a double to left-center field. Later in the frame, Quirk plated Lane with a double to center field to make it 5-1.
Maryville would cut the Covenant lead to 5-2 in the sixth, but Hilt shut the door on the home team to complete the sweep.
Shepherd went 3-for-4 with two runs for Covenant and Lane was 2-for-3 with a run and three RBIs. Brett finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. Covenant had 12 hits total in game two.
Covenant will return to the diamond on Thursday when they travel to face Sewanee in non-conference action. First game of that doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. EDT.