Jonah Paul twirled a complete-game gem and the Covenant baseball team used a four-run first inning to take a 5-0 victory over Emory & Henry and complete a three-game sweep on Saturday afternoon.
The win moves Covenant 5-0 on the year. It is the second straight season the Scots have started 5-0. Emory & Henry drops to 0-6 overall.
Paul (2-0) was masterful in his first career nine-inning complete-game. The senior right-hander allowed three hits while striking out a career-high nine batters and facing just five hitters over the minimum.
Of Paul's 98 pitches, 73 were for strikes as he consistently worked ahead in the count.
Paul's effort on the mound was backed by a four-run first inning for the Scots. Luke Harvey hit a one-out single and was chased home on Caleb Bloye's double that went off the center field fence giving Covenant a 1-0 lead. After consecutive walks to Alex Kerr and Joel Johnson, Perry Rigby doubled down the line in left to score Bloye and Kerr for a 3-0 lead. One batter later, Forrest Hunter reached on a fielder's choice as Johnson raced home in front a throw from Wasps third baseman Eli Straw for the fourth run.
After the four-run inning, the bats fell silent on both sides. Paul continued to produce quick outs as he set down seven straight hitters at one point in the middle innings. Emory & Henry reliever Gavin Felty matched Paul with nine straight retired.
In the bottom of the eighth, Johnson launched a 1-0 pitch from Logan Forster over the left field fence for his first career home run and the game's final margin at 5-0.
Harvey went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base for Covenant. Rigby drove in two and was 1-for-4 on the day.
Emory & Henry starter Troy Polen (0-2) gets the loss as he lasted just one inning and surrendered four runs on three hits. Felty came on in relief and went six shutout innings. Brandon Lineberry had two of the Wasps' three hits.
The Covenant softball team used a pair of shutouts and plenty of offense to sweep a season-opening doubleheader from Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon in Macon. The Lady Scots won game one 7-0 before taking the second 11-0 in five innings.
Joni Johnson went 4-for-5 with two RBIs at the plate on the day and pitched a complete-game shutout in the first game. Jordan Brett went 4-for-6 and Shannon Schmitt was 4-for-7 with four RBIs in the two games combined.
Covenant starts the year 2-0, while Wesleyan is 0-2 overall.
GAME ONE: Covenant 7, Wesleyan 0
Johnson pitched a five-hit shutout and went 2-for-3 at the plate, while Brett and Morgan Lane each went 3-for-4 with two RBIs leading Covenant to a 7-0 victory.
Johnson (1-0) scattered five hits in her complete-game effort and struck out two to pick up the victory. She threw 79 pitches, 53 of which were strikes.
Offensively, Covenant broke through with two runs in the third inning and four more in the fourth to open the game up. Brett doubled home Jami Johnson for the game's first run in the third and Lane followed with a double of her own that plated Brett for a 2-0 Covenant lead.
In the fourth, Covenant scored all four runs with two outs. Joni Johnson led off with a double and was still on base with two away before scoring when Wesleyan committed an error on Jami Johnson's batted ball. Brett, Lane and Schmitt followed with three straight RBI singles as the Lady Scots went ahead 6-0.
Schmitt provided the game's final tally with a two-out double in the sixth that scored Tyler Epes.
Shade Epes also had multiple hits in the contest as she went 2-for-3. Covenant had 13 hits to Wesleyan's five.
GAME TWO: Covenant 11, Wesleyan 0
In the second game, Covenant scored four runs in the first and seven more in the second inning to run away with an 11-0 win in five innings.
Madison Quirk went 2-for-3 with a triple and three RBIs, while Schmitt and Joni Johnson drove in two runs each. Kendall Whann led Covenant's 16-hit attack with a 3-for-4 effort to go with a run and an RBI.
The scoring started early for the Lady Scots with four runs in the top of the first. Schmitt, Quirk, Joni Johnson and Whann produced four straight RBI singles with one away in the frame to give Covenant a 4-0 lead.
In the second, Covenant sent 11 batters to the plate and scored seven runs on seven hits to go ahead 11-0. The biggest hit in the inning came from Quirk who tripled home Schmitt and Lane to make it 9-0. Lane, Schmitt, Joni Johnson and Jami Johnson had RBI singles and Kasey Hart added an RBI ground out in the inning.
All that offense was more than enough for Covenant starter Cris Gant. Gant (1-0) threw four scoreless innings and scattered three hits with four strikeouts. Carsyn Stone came on and tossed a scoreless fifth inning to secure the win and the doubleheader sweep.
UP NEXT
Covenant will open the home portion of its schedule on Friday, Feb. 19 with a doubleheader against Berea. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.