Grant Kierpa threw eight solid innings and the Covenant baseball team scored four runs in the third and eighth innings to pull out a 9-4 victory at Berry on Tuesday evening at William R. Bowdoin Field.
With the win, Covenant (21-17) guarantees itself a winning record for the season. It also gave the Scots a season split with Berry (25-15).
Kierpa (2-0) went a season-high eight innings allowing four runs, though only two were earned, on seven hits with a strikeout. The freshman right-hander allowed three runs in the fourth, but settled down and surrendered just one hit over his final four innings of work.
The Scots scored in bunches putting up four runs in two separate innings.
In the fourth, Covenant scored four times on three hits to take a 4-1 lead. Daniel Johnson led off with a single and later scored on a Trenton Nobles RBI single for Covenant's first run. Berry relievers Nick Cioffi and Tyler Will had difficulty finding the zone and the Scots took advantage working three consecutive bases loaded walks for a 4-1 edge.
Berry tied the game at 4-4 with its three-run fourth inning off Kierpa, but the Scots took the lead for good in the sixth. It was Johnson again setting the table with a leadoff double and he later came around to score when Berry reliever Austin Loper uncorked a wild pitch giving the Scots a 5-4 lead.
The lead remained at 5-4 until a four-run eighth inning. Kyle Delk and Luke Harvey started the frame with back-to-back singles and Perry Rigby would bring in Harvey with an RBI single. With the bases loaded and two away, Z Arima gave the Scots a comfortable lead with a bases-clearing double to make it 9-4.
Matt Herrin came on in the ninth to seal the win for Covenant by tossing a scoreless inning.
Harvey went 3-for-5 with a run scored, while Arima was 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs. Caleb Bloye, Johnson and Delk also collected two hits apiece.
Berry utilized 10 pitchers in the midweek contest. Loper (0-1) is hit with the loss after he allowed the go-ahead run in the sixth inning. Berry's Dusty Tyson and Austin Haight had two hits each.