Cougar News

Bluefield, Va. -- Number one seed Bluefield College (34-14) scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and defeated number three seed Mid-Continent University (17-41) in game one, 3-2, and also won game two, 5-2, in a best-of-three baseball series at the National Christian College Athletics Association (NCCAA) Mideast Regional, Thursday, May 13, at Bowen Field in Bluefield, Virginia. Bluefield wins the Mideast Region and moves on to the NCCAA National Championship Tournament, May 20-23, at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio, in the Greater Cincinnati area, sponsored by Arington Foundation and hosted by Geneva College (Pa.). MCU's 2009 season comes to an end.

    Junior lefthander Josh Bowman (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) made the 2-1 lead stand up until the bottom of the seventh inning. Despite being tagged hard in the lower leg by a line drive on the first pitch of the game, Bowman pitched six solid innings and into the seventh, allowing three runs, 10 hits, and just one walk, and striking out two and threw just 77 pitches in the first six innings. MCU played errorless defense behind Bowman.

    In the seventh inning, Bowman allowed a lead-off double to 2B Billy Funk, his 17th two-bagger of the season, a bunt single by CF Devin Good, and a game-tying RBI single by SS Travis Weaver and was lifted at that point by MCU coach Shawn Yarbrough. Senior RF Sean Aldrich (Paducah, KY/Community Christian Academy) entered the game and the next hitter RF Ryan Lambert sacrificed the runners to second and third bases, and LF Andrew Weaver was intentionally walked, loading the bases. First baseman Evan Pelot smacked a 1-2 pitch to left field, driving home Good with the winning run, and making Bowman, now 2-8 this season, the hard-luck losing pitcher.

    Pelot was 3 for 4 with the game-winner, and Travis Weaver was 2 for 4 with an RBI, and Jeremiah McMillian was 2 for 3 for Bluefield. Meanwhile, MCU totaled four hits and received two walks from winning pitcher Brandon Holloway, whose record improved to 8-1.  Holloway struck out six and just of the runs he allowed was earned as Bluefield committed two errors in the game.

    In Thursday's second game of the best-of-three series against Bluefield, MCU totaled seven hits, including a single, triple and home run by Tanner Hall, and an RBI triple by pitcher Chris Buckman (Sturgis, KY/Union County HS) in the sixth inning that cut Bluefield's lead to 5-2. Hall lifted a 1-1 pitch from Bluefield righthander Josh Grimes well over the left-center field fence in the fourth inning for MCU's first run of the game and led off the second inning with a triple but was stranded as MCU failed to produce a clutch hit. Hall led MCU with seven home runs and drove in 35 runs this season and was four for six in the two Thursday games against Bluefield.

    Grimes pitched the first six innings for Bluefield, allowing two runs, seven hits, and two walks and striking out six Cougars. Grimes' record moved to 6-0, and closer Donald Howell earned his 11th save of the season, retiring MCU in order in the seventh inning while protecting a three-run lead.

    Bluefield totaled nine hits and received four walks from two MCU pitchers. Starter Sean Aldrich, now 3-9, allowed four runs, five hits and a walk in the first two innings, and Buckman effectively pitched the final five innings, allowing just one run, four hits and three walks and striking out four. McMillian belted his 10th home run of the season against Aldrich in the second inning, and Pelot added two more hits, giving him five in the two games. Travis Weaver was 3 for 4 with an RBI single in the second inning and a double in the fourth inning, and Good was 2 for 3 and scored the game-winning run. Cheng threw out three Bluefield base runners attempting to steal second base, preventing further potential damage.