In the first game, senior lefty Levi Curry (left) (4-1) went right back to work where he left off after tossing a perfect game against Cedarville University in his previous outing last Wednesday as he allowed just four hits, two walks, and one unearned runs over six innings with six strikeouts as the Cougars (12-9, 4-2 AMC) prevailed 11-1 in a game that ended in the bottom of the sixth inning due to the 10-run mercy rule.

The MVNU offense got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning when senior shortstop Ross Yoder and senior outfielder Garret Shivley were hit on back-to-back pitches to start the inning. Senior third baseman Richey Burgos followed with a two-run double to right center to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead and extend his hitting streak to 22 games. Junior second baseman Josh Estep then plated Burgos with a single up the middle to make it 3-0.

Sophomore first baseman Matt Parks extended the lead to 4-0 when he led off the bottom of the second inning with his second home run of the season - a blast that cleared the scoreboard in left center.

Shivley gave MVNU a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when he lined a lead-off home run - his first of the season - to straight-away centerfield.

The Falcons (11-12, 4-6 AMC) scored their only run of the game in the top of the fifth inning when Notre Dame took advantage of a double, an error, and a walk to load the bases with two outs. Then, Nate Campbell struck out swinging but reached first base when the pitch in the dirt got past sophomore catcher Travis McInerney as an unearned run scored to make it 5-1.

The Cougars answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by Shivley and an RBI-double by Burgos (right) to push the lead back to 7-1, and then MVNU ended the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with four runs to make it 11-1. Parks had a run-scoring single, Yoder hit a sacrifice fly, and Burgos lined a two-run single through the left side of the infield to end the game early.

Burgos, who entered the game ranked No. 2 in the NAIA in batting average at .523, helped that average by going 4-for-5 with two singles, two doubles, and five RBI. Parks went 3-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored, and Estep added two hits to the 13-hit attack for the Cougars. Dustin Taulbee collected two of the Falcons’ four hits in the game.

Chris Balmert (3-1) took the loss for Notre Dame as he gave up six hits, one walk, and four runs over two-plus innings with two strikeouts before being forced to leave the game after being struck on the knee by a line drive off McInerney’s bat. Trent Crow gave up six hits, three walks, and seven runs over three-plus innings of relief with two strikeouts, while Sean Spellacy recorded one out and gave up Burgos’ game-ending two-run single.

The second game featured a strong performance from the Falcons’ lefty Mick Robinson (1-5). He allowed just three hits and five walks over seven innings with five strikeouts in tossing Notre Dame’s first shutout of the year.

Meanwhile, the Falcons scored in each of the final three innings to pull away for the 5-0 victory to earn the doubleheader split. Jeff Burch got the scoring under way with a one-out home run to leftfield in the top of the fifth inning to break the scoreless deadlock.

Notre Dame tacked on two unearned runs in both the top of the sixth and seventh innings as an error in each inning gave the Falcons an extra out to work with as their lead continued to grow.

Junior right-hander Jason Decker (3-2) took the loss as he scattered eight hits and five runs (only one earned) over seven innings with four strikeouts and no walks.

Shivley (left) collected two of the Cougars’ three hits in the game with a lead-off bunt single in the bottom of the fourth inning and a one-out single to leftfield in the bottom of the sixth inning. The only other hit was a lead-off single by senior outfielder Marc Hadley to start the bottom of the seventh inning. Burgos had his 22-game hitting streak snapped as he went 0-for-3 in the game.

Taulbee again led Notre Dame by going 2-for-3 with a single and a double, and Eric Pelot had a two-run double.

MVNU is scheduled to return to action on Friday when the team will play a conference doubleheader against Shawnee State University. The games will be played at V.A. Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio, with the first game slated to get under way at noon.