Sophomore Ryan Hill makes a pitch during this weeks series against Covenant.
by Ericka Simpson
Staff Writer
The Bryan College baseball team hosted Covenant College (Lookout Mountain, Ga.) at Senter Field in a three-game series on March 26 and 27, losing the first two games but winning the third.
Lions lose first game
The Lions fell to the Scots 8-2 in the first game, despite taking the lead in the first two innings. Senior first baseman Pablo Rodriguez hit a home run in the first inning, which was the highlight of the game according to Head Coach Taylor Hasty.
Freshman outfielder Kevin Layne scored the Lions’ second and final run in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI from junior outfielder Josh King, according to Hasty.
Junior pitcher Tyson Latham started the game on the mound, and pitched well, according to shortstop junior Jonathan Davis. Latham threw nine strikeouts.
According to Hasty, in the fourth inning Davis had an error and the Scots’ next hitter banged out a home run. The Lions could not recover from the Scots taking the lead.
Lions fall to Scots in the second game of the series
In the second game, the Lions lost 14-5 to the Scots. Hasty said the team did not “execute on defense,” and the Scots’ pitcher threw multiple strikes, which eventually led to Bryan’s second loss.
“We did not make adjustments to the pitcher,” Hasty said. “We were really anxious on offense all weekend and as a result, we lost.
According to Davis, the game was “all around an ugly game.” The Lions were not consistent in offense, defense or pitching.
“In the first two games, we could not get all three parts firing at once,” Davis said.
The Lions did not make routine plays on defense, which allowed Covenant to get players on base and score runs, according to Hasty.
The only highlights were that Rodriguez hit another home run in the fourth inning and had two RBIs, according to Davis. Freshman third baseman Trey Colvard also hit a home run in the sixth inning.
Lions win last game of series
The Lions defeated the Scots 6-5 in the last game of the series after the Scots led with four runs in the second inning.
Junior pitcher Zack Breault pitched six and a third innings with six strikeouts, according to Davis.
“Breault really stuck in there for us and battled on the mound,” Davis said. “He kept us in the game while we were struggling at the plate.”
The game was tied 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Layne came up to the plate and hit a two-run home run, according to Hasty, pulling the Lions ahead by two.
The Scots were able to score another run in the final inning, but junior pitcher Josh Smith got the last two batters out and threw one strikeout, ending the game in the Lions’ favor, Hasty said.
“Our guys fought hard that game, especially after losing the first two,” he said. “I was proud of them.”
The Lions are currently 5-7 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference and 13-19 overall.
Covenant’s take on the game
Covenant’s Head Baseball Coach Doug Simons said that the Lions have improved since Covenant played them last year.
The Lions lost to the Scots in every game in the three-game series played at Covenant in April 2009.
“Coach Hasty has done a very good job in getting more talent and getting them to play hard,” Simons said.
Bryan’s offense is better than their pitching and defense, according to Simons, who said that the Lions run the bases “as well as any team that we have played.”
He said that the Lions are capable of the “big inning,” when batters focus on drawing walks or getting extra base hits and home runs; this proved to be an obstacle for the Scots.
“We tried to keep their offense down to put more pressure on their pitching,” Simons said. “But they never gave up!”
Tags: baseball, Covenant, Doug Simons, Jonathan Davis, Josh Smith, Scots, Taylor Hasty
