Cougars Sweep Season-Opening Twinbill from Ohio Christian


	Cougar Baseball Recap Cougars Sweep Season-Opening Twinbill from Ohio Christian written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game 1 Boxscore \| Game 2 Boxscore MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (3-3-2012) - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team got the 2012 baseball season off to a good start as the Cougars got solid starting pitching performances and timely hitting as MVNU rallied in both games of a non-conference doubleheader to sweep Ohio Christian University 9-5 and 13-1 at chilly Cougar Field on Saturday afternoon. MVNU (2-0) took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning of game one senior first baseman Josh Roberts reached on a two-out, three-base error by Steven Funk, the Trailblazers' leftfielder who dropped Roberts' fly ball. Sophomore designated hitter Seth Eller followed with an RBI double down the leftfield line to put the Cougars on the scoreboard. After Ohio Christian (0-6) knotted the score at 1-1 with an unearned run in the top of the second inning, MVNU regained the lead 2-1 on a two-out, run-scoring single by freshman second baseman Sterling Harpst in the bottom of the second. The Trailblazers tied the score at 2-2 in the top of the third inning, but once again the Cougars answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning as freshman outfielder Jake Dickerson *(left)* blasted a leadoff home run to leftfield to put MVNU on top 3-2. Ohio Christian strung together five hits and a sacrifice fly as the Trailblazers scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning to take their first lead of the day at 5-3. However, the Cougars wasted no time in retaliating as MVNU answered with a five-run bottom of the fifth to regain the lead 8-5. Sophomore third baseman Jeff Stone had an RBI single, Dickerson plated a run with a ground out, and freshman catcher Clint Spencer capped the scoring with a two-run triple to center and then scored himself on the play when the relay through to the infield went into the visiting dugout. The Cougars closed out the scoring in the 9-5 win in the bottom of the sixth inning when MVNU took advantage of two walks and a hit batsman to score the final run without benefit of a hit. Senior right-hander Kyle Barr (1-0) earned the victory on the mound for the Cougars as he scattered eight hits, two walks, three hit batsmen, and four earned runs over seven innings while striking out eight batters. The victory was the 20th of Barr's career as he became the 16th player in MVNU history to reach that mark. It was also the 15th complete game of his career in 29 starts. Ryan Black started for the Trailblazers and gave up nine hits, one walk, and six runs (five earned) over 4.1 innings with three strikeouts. Tyler Jones (0-1) took the loss as he allowed one hit, three walks, and three earned runs in one inning of work. Richie French recorded the final two outs and hit one batter. Offensively, Roberts and Harpst each collected two hits, while Stone, Dickerson, and Spencer drove in two runs apiece. Meanwhile, Avery Sneed and Kelton Sines had two hits each for Ohio Christian, and Black drove in two runs. "Josh and Seth got us on the board early and gave us the early lead," said MVNU coach Keith Veale. "They are a couple of guys who we are counting on to be run producers. We gave up the lead in the fifth when Kyle ran into a little trouble. They strung some things together and had us on the ropes. I was real encouraged by the way we responded. Josh and Seth got things started again, and I thought Clint's first collegiate hit was a clutch at bat. After we got the lead, Kyle really finished well. I think he could sense the opportunity to close the game down. The sixth and seventh innings were perhaps his best of the day." The second game was scoreless until the top of the third inning when with one out Ronnie Goodwin struck out swinging but reached first base on a passed ball. He stole second and later came around to score on a single to centerfield by Avery Sneed as the Trailblazers took a 1-0 lead. Just like they had done in the first game, the Cougars responded right away with two runs in the bottom of the third to take a 2-1 lead. Roberts drove in the first run with a one-out double down the leftfield line, and Eller plated the other with a sacrifice fly. A two-out triple to right center by sophomore catcher Greg Travis in the bottom of the fourth inning led to another run as MVNU moved on top 3-1. Then, in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Cougars broke the game wide open and ended it early with the mercy rule as they scored 10 runs in the frame. Dickerson, junior shortstop Jordan Doherty, and Stone each hit a three-run home run, while Stone started the scoring in the inning with an RBI single as MVNU won 13-1 in walkoff fashion following Stone's homer. Stone went 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored, while Roberts also added three hits. Dickerson and Doherty each drove in three runs apiece with Doherty and Harpst each collecting two hits. Lost in the shuffle of the offensive explosion was the outstanding pitching performance of MVNU senior right-hander Jerrob Decker (1-0). Decker *(right)* allowed only a two-out, third-inning single to Avery Sneed as he tossed a complete game one-hitter with one walk, one wild pitch, and one hit batsman while striking out nine batters as he notched his 13th career win. Mike Miller (0-1) started and took the loss for Ohio Christian as he allowed nine hits, two walks, and five runs over four innings. Chris McIlroy tossed one-third of an inning and gave up two hits, one walk, and three runs. Trevor Whitesed finished the game on the mound and allowed four hits, one walk, and gave up five runs while recording just one out. "Jerrob was outstanding," said Veale. "He started out pounding the strike zone and never changed. It was great to have him come out of the gate and throw extremely well. It has been a long road for him to get back on the mound since last spring. We just needed to find a way to get him some offense and things would be fine. We were knocking on the door early, but sort of self-destructed on the base paths. We definitely threw some gas on the fire with the long ball in the fifth inning." "Overall, we are pleased with the day," Veale added. "We had some guys swing the bat very well today. Jake got through a couple balls and can add some more punch in the middle of the order. I thought the bottom of the order in both games really contributed in our run production. That is a nice early sign. We need to clean up some base-running issues and realize that this is just day one. We have lots to work on as the games start to increase this week. It was great to see a nice crowd out for the season opener despite the frigid conditions. It's always great to play in front of our home crowd." The Cougars are slated to return to action on Tuesday with another home non-conference doubleheader scheduled to start at 1 p.m. versus the University of Northwestern Ohio, who received votes in the NAIA preseason poll. The Racers are currently 7-3 overall and have won four straight games.

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