The Covenant baseball team could not overcome strong pitching from LaGrange as the Scots dropped a pair of USA South contests on Saturday at Cleaveland Field.
LaGrange took game one, 8-2, before winning the series finale by a 4-1 score.
Covenant (15-8, 1-2 USA South) saw its six-game winning streak snapped with the losses. LaGrange (10-7, 2-1 USA South) clinched the USA South-counting series.
GAME ONE: LaGrange 8, Covenant 2
The Panthers used 15 hits compared to Covenant's nine to get the 8-2 victory.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the third inning when a single from Rhett Hebert and two Covenant errors would help LaGrange take a 1-0 lead.
After holding the Scots hitless in the top of the fourth, the Panthers would score four runs off on four hits during their turn in the fourth to extend the lead to 5-0.
Cael Chatham and Trey Pearce both recorded singles during the rally.
Chatham would score on another Covenant error, making it 2-0. Rhett Mixon then hit a two-RBI double, which was followed by a Joe Ruth triple to make it 5-0 in favor of the Panthers.
Though Ken Burke singled and Trevor Grapenthin doubled to put Covenant runners in scoring position in the top of the fifth, LaGrange held the Scots scoreless to maintain a 5-0 lead.
The bats would get hotter for the Scots in the top of the sixth, as they scored their only two runs off of four hits. Singles by Alex Gonzalez, Brooks DuBose, Josh Harvey, and Joseph Ridenour helped bring in the Scots' first runs of the day, cutting the deficit to three (5-2).
LaGrange would answer in its half of the sixth, though, with two more singles and another run, making it 6-2.
After a scoreless seventh inning, the Panthers would bring in their final two runs on four more hits. LaGrange recorded four singles during the rally, putting them up 8-2 on the Scots.
Gonzalez and Hunter Christian were both 2-for-4. Harvey went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Nick Pettit (3-2) got the start on the mound for the Scots, pitching 6.1 innings and striking out two. Noah Sweatman pitched 1.2 innings of relief and recorded two strikeouts.
LaGrange tallied 15 hits during the contest. Chatham was 3-for-5, while Mixon went 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Dalton Brooks (3-1) pitched five innings, with no earned runs and eight strikeouts. Jack Richards pitched 3.1 innings of relief and earned his first save of the season.
GAME TWO: LaGrange 4, Covenant 1
Christian had two hits for the Scots, but four LaGrange pitchers held the Covenant offense to three hits as the host Panthers took a 4-1 victory and the series.
LaGrange scored single runs in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to pull away for the win. Jack Layrisson went 3-for-4 and Chatham was 2-for-3 as the Panthers tallied 11 hits in the game.
Covenant tied the game at 1-1 with a run in the fourth. After a Harvey walk, Christian doubled to put runners at second and third with one out. Kenny Mills followed with an RBI single to even the score.
Trailing 3-1 in the sixth, Covenant threatened again but thwarted by the Panthers' defense. With runners on first and second with two outs, Zeke Gilbert hit a liner to left field that was caught on a diving attempt by Layrisson to end the inning and the rally for the Scots.
Tyler Brooks and Spencer Douches closed the game for LaGrange with three scoreless innings while Douches got the save. Brett Caneega (1-0) got the win for the Panthers.
Zach Tolleson (2-1) went five innings and struck out three while allowing four runs in his starts. Conor Austin tossed three scoreless innings in relief.
Covenant travels to Brevard for a three-game series on April 9-10.