The Covenant baseball game faced Huntingdon Thursday in an elimination game at the CCS Tournament. The Scots gave it everything they had, scoring two runs to take the lead late, however the ball bounced the Hawks in the bottom of the ninth as they won 9-8 to keep their season alive.
Final: Covenant 8, Huntingdon 9 RBI singles from Zeke Gilbert and Elliott Eastin quickly put Covenant ahead 2-0 in the first inning.
Later in the frame, a base-loaded hit-by-pitch drawn by Josh McCaskill followed by an RBI groundout from Ryan MacLellan put the Scots up 4-0.
Nate Jones capped off the first-inning outburst with a 2-RBI single up the middle.
It was Huntingdon's turn to score six runs, doing so in the second inning, behind six hits and one
error to tie the game.
RHP Ethan Goebert came into the game and started to shut down Huntingdon, keeping it scoreless for the next three innings.
In the sixth inning, Huntingdon took the lead using a throwing error off a bunt to bring home the run.
After a difficult first inning for Huntingdon RHP JB Landrum, he responded by keeping Covenant scoreless from the second inning through the eighth inning.
A pair of singles put Jones and Gilbert on base in the ninth inning before Daniel Bell blasted a 2-RBI double down the right-field line to put Covenant ahead 8-7.
The Scots had runners at second and third with one out and a chance to extend its lead, but a line out, followed by an intentional walk, and a pop out ended the threat.
Goebert tallied a strikeout to begin the ninth inning, however three walks with a groundout mixed in between loaded the bases with two outs.
Covenant made a pitching change, bringing in RHP Jake Schock looking to have him record the final out.
Cade Morgan for Huntingdon had other plans, hitting a 2-RBI single up the middle to win the game.
Covenant moves to 15-27 all-time against Huntingdon.
Goebert (7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 7 K) went seven innings in relief and was given the loss.
RHP Bryce Bollinger (1.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) started for Covenant in his last college game.
Sam Cecil (3-for-5, 1 R), Bell (3-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI), and Eastin (3-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI) each had three-hit days to lead the Covenant offense.
Both teams had 13 hits.
Covenant had two errors while Huntingdon had none.