The Covenant baseball team tied a program record with four home runs and the Scots had 13 hits on the day in a 12-7 victory over non-conference and NCAA Division II member Oakland City on Tuesday afternoon.
Alex Kerr hit two of Covenant's four home runs while Caleb Bloye and Luke Harvey added a homer each. The four homers as a team marks the third time in the modern era the program has achieved the feat and the first since April 5, 2013 against Tennessee Temple. Kerr two home runs is the 11th time in the program's history a player has hit two homers in a game and the first since Braeden Lane did it against Hiwassee on March 15, 2013.
Covenant (12-13) scored two runs in the second and four more in the third to build a 6-0 lead.
Kerr hit his first home run of the day in the second, a two-run shot to left field, giving Covenant a 2-0 lead.
In the third, Julien Amorelli drove in a run as he beat out a potential double play ball that enabled Devin Cerrato to score and make it 3-0. That setup Kerr again as he launched his second long ball of the day, a no-doubt three-run homer to left field, giving the Scots a 6-0 lead. The two home runs gives Kerr three on the year.
Oakland City (8-10) came back with four in the fourth inning to slice the Scots' lead to 6-4. But the offense was back at it in the fifth.
In that fifth inning, Perry Rigby drove in Amorelli with an RBI single to center field. Two batters later and with the bases loaded, Luke Harvey blasted a grand slam to right field making it 11-4. The home run was Harvey's first of the year.
Bloye capped the Covenant scoring in the sixth with a leadoff home run that cleared the left field scoreboard. That home run was Bloye's third of the year.
Covenant used five pitchers to keep Oakland City at bay. Grant Kierpa made his second start of the year and went the first 3.1 innings before giving way to Drew Bradley. Bradley (1-0) picks up his first collegiate victory as he went 2.2 innings allowing one run on three hits with three strikeouts.
Kerr finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored and five RBIs. Harvey was 3-for-5 with a run and four RBIs, while Bloye went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Taylor Bloye also collected two hits in three at-bats and tossed a scoreless inning in relief.
Oakland City starter Dylan Allen (1-4) gets the loss after allowing two earned runs on seven hits in 2.2 innings. Craig Peters and Caleb Wagner had two hits apiece to lead the Mighty Oaks' offense.
The Covenant softball team bounced back from a game one loss to earn a split with Wesleyan on Tuesday afternoon in non-conference action. Wesleyan hit two home runs in game one to take an 8-3 win before Carsyn Stone tossed a complete-game in the nightcap leading the Lady Scots to a 4-1 victory.
Covenant moves to 11-10-1 overall on the year, while Wesleyan goes to 7-15. Covenant won three of the four meetings with Wesleyan this year.
GAME ONE: Wesleyan 8, Covenant 3
Covenant fell behind 5-0 and could not overcome the deficit in an 8-3 loss in game one of Tuesday's doubleheader.
Down 5-0 in the fourth, Covenant scored three runs to cut the deficit to 5-3. Kasey Hart led off the inning with a triple, Covenant's first hit of the contest, and Carlin Labuzan followed with her first career home run. Labuzan's two-run shot to left field drew Covenant to within 5-2. Later in the inning, Jordan Brett produced a two-out RBI double that plated Morgan Lane making it 5-3.
But Wesleyan would get a run back in the fifth on an Alyssa Flowers' leadoff home run and then added two more in the sixth on a Victoria Clower two-run double to extend the lead back to five at 8-3.
Labuzan finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a run scored. Brett went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Tyler Epes (3-4) gets the loss in the circle after surrendering two earned runs in 1.1 innings.
Wesleyan starter Mellissa Webb (6-7) went the distance allowing three runs on eight hits with five strikeouts. Bela Bravo went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Nicole Wilson went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.
GAME TWO: Covenant 4, Wesleyan 1
Starting pitcher Carsyn Stone slowed down the Wesleyan offense with a complete-game effort as Covenant earned a doubleheader split with a 4-1 victory.
Stone (2-1) threw her second complete-game of the year as she allowed just one run on six hits with four strikeouts. The freshman gave up a run in the fourth before holding Wesleyan scoreless over the final three innings.
Covenant took a 1-0 lead in the third as Labuzan reached on an infield single with two outs that enabled Madalyn Ames to score from third. Wesleyan tied the score in the fourth on a Brooke Tussinger RBI single.
In the fifth, Covenant broke the 1-1 tie with two runs, both coming with two outs. Lane singled home Ames and then Shannon Schmitt laced a double into the left-center field gap that scored Lane making it 3-1. The Lady Scots added a run in the sixth on a Madison Quirk pinch-hit RBI single to left field that plated Brett.
Schmitt led Covenant offensively going 3-for-3 with an RBI. Brett added two more hits, while Labuzan, Lane, Ames and Quirk all had a hit apiece.
Ashley Bush went 2-for-3 to lead Wesleyan. Starter Nicole Wilson went six innings giving up three earned runs on nine hits with a pair of strikeouts.