The Covenant softball team could not overcome host Huntingdon on Friday afternoon as the Hawks took both games of a USA South doubleheader from the Lady Scots. Huntingdon took game one 2-0 and completed the sweep with a 12-7 win in the second game.
Covenant has lost eight straight and stands at 9-15 overall and 2-12 in the USA South. Huntingdon goes to 14-11 on the year and 9-6 in league play.
Game 1: Huntingdon 2, Covenant 0
Covenant recorded a hit in every inning, but could not come up with a run and Huntingdon held on for a 2-0 victory in game one of Friday's doubleheader.
Huntingdon scored both runs in the first inning off Covenant starter Cris Gant.
The Hawks' Gabby Alcantar tripled home a run and later scored herself to give Huntingdon a 2-0 lead after an inning of play.
The Lady Scots put baserunners on throughout the contest, but would not be able to scratch across a run on Huntingdon starter Katy Messick. One of Covenant's best chances to score came in the fourth inning. The Lady Scots loaded the bases after a Kendall Whann double and walks to Jami Johnson and Joni Johnson but Messick got out of the mess without surrendering a run.
Joni Johnson was outstanding in relief of Gant. The right-hander went the final five innings and allowed just two hits and struck out four and faced just three over the minimum. Gant (3-5) gets the loss as she allowed two runs in the first. Gant and Johnson combined to allow only three hits.
Messick (6-5) scattered seven hits but stranded all runners as she picks up the win. Messick struck out seven and walked six in her complete-game.
Morgan Lane had three hits and finished 3-for-4. Kasey Hart, Jordan Brett, Whann and Kaitlyn Sirmons had a hit apiece as Covenant totaled seven hits in the game.
Game 2: Huntingdon 12, Covenant 7
In game two, Huntingdon broke open a close game with five runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth to take a 12-7 victory and a doubleheader sweep.
Madison Quirk and Tyler Epes each had two hits and Amanda English provided two RBIs but it was not enough for Covenant to overcome the host Hawks.
Covenant scored its first run of the day in the second inning as Quirk scored on a wild pitch after leading off the inning with a single. Huntingdon scored twice in its half of the second, but the Lady Scots responded with a run in the third to tie it up at 2-2. In that third inning, Lane reached on a fielder's choice that enabled Joni Johnson to score.
The Lady Scots grabbed a 4-2 lead with two runs in the top of the fourth. English had the big hit in the inning as her pinch-hit single to left field brought home Sirmons and Nicole White.
But Huntingdon scored five times in the fourth and three more times in the fifth to take an 11-4 lead. Covenant tallied a run in the sixth as Epes scored on a passed ball and two more in the seventh on a wild pitch and an Epes sacrifice fly.
Epes (3-4) gets the loss in the circle as she gave up eight runs. Anna Stephens (2-1) picks up the win in relief for the Hawks as she threw the final 3.1 innings and allowed three runs on five hits.
Covenant will be back home for its final scheduled home games of the year on Tuesday when it hosts Piedmont. Game one is set for 2 p.m.