Cougar News
Baseball - Tue, Apr. 9, 2013
MAYFIELD, Ky. - The offense of the Mid-Continent University baseball team was supposed to be a strength of the ball club all season. On Tuesday, that was on full display.
Mid-Continent (11-27) belted 26 hits and tallied 19 runs in a double-header split with St. Catherine College (31-14). The Patriots held on to take game one 10-7, before Mid-Continent pounded their way to a 12-3 win in the back half of the twin bill.
St. Catherine opened the scoring in game one with a run in the bottom of the first inning, Uriel Hawkins picked up an RBI single in the top of the third inning, and Joseph Blair followed with a two-out, two-run double to put Mid-Continent ahead 3-1. St. Catherine regained the momentum and the lead in the third inning, scoring three times, then added four insurance tallies in the fourth to take an 8-3 lead. The Cougars caught a pair of breaks in the top of the fifth innings, and they turned them into three runs on a passed ball, an RBI groundout from Richard Arias, and an RBI single from Jordan Adams, pulling to within 8-6. St. Catherine added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth frame to stretch their lead to 10-6, and though Reed Vaughan scored on a wild pitch in the top of the seventh, the Cougars' comeback fizzled, and the Partiots hung on for the 10-7 win.
Trenton Claunch (3-0) threw five innings, allowing six runs on nine hits and striking out three to earn the win, defeating Mid-Continent's Tyler Krough (0-2) who allowed four runs on three hits in two and two-thirds innings. Hawkins, Blair, and Jordan Manney each had two hits in the game, and Dylan Rasch added a double to support the cause.
Mid-Continent broke open the second game of the twin bill. Blake Vaughan lofted a sacrifice fly to center to get Mid-Continent on the board, then after Adam Riley walked and stole second base, Reed Vaughan lined a single to right field, scoring Riley and Dondre McCarter to push the lead to 3-0. Hawkins followed with an RBI triple - his first of two triples in the game - and Blair followed to cap the scoring with an RBI single knocking in Hawkins as the Cougars scored five times in the frame. St. Catherine tallied a run in the bottom of the second, but in the fourth inning, the Cougars tallied two more runs, stretching their lead to 7-1. The Cougars put the game away in the fifth inning, pushing four more runs across to build a lead of 11-1. St. Catherine scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth, and Hawkins notched his fourth RBI of the game in the top of the sixth to cap the scoring, as Mid-Continent took the win 12-3.
Bill Schroeder (2-0) picked up his second win in four days, lasting four innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits and four walks, and striking out two Patriots. C.J. Gant (0-2) gave up five earned runs in just two innings, walking three and fanning two. Hawkins posted a huge game, going 3-for-5 at the plate with two triples, two runs scored, and four RBIs - bringing his total on the day to five Runs Batted In. Dondre McCarter went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI; Reed Vaughan was 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs; and Blair went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.
The Cougars will head to nearby Columbia, Ky. on Wednesday to take on the NAIA #22 Lindsey Wilson College (30-14) at 4 p.m. in a single nine-inning game.
