Cougars Split Conference Twinbill with Bethel


	Cougar Baseball Recap Cougars Split Conference Twinbill with Bethel written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game 1 Boxscore \| Game 2 Boxscore MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (4-10-2012) - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team extended its winning streak to eight straight games with a 12-1 victory over Bethel (Ind.) College in the first game of a Mid-Central College Conference doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon at Cougar Field, but the visiting Pilots bounced back for a 4-3 win in the nightcap to snap a 17-game losing skid. In the first game, MVNU (22-12, 13-7 MCC) scored in all but one inning and got another strong starting pitching performance as the Cougars pulled away over the final two innings for a 12-1 victory. MVNU built a 2-0 lead after three innings as sophomore third baseman Jeff Stone had an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning and sophomore designated hitter Seth Eller add a run-scoring hit in the bottom of the third inning with both coming after the first two outs in the inning had been recorded. Bethel (9-29, 2-18 MCC) got on the scoreboard with a run in the top of the fourth inning to pull within 2-1, but the Cougars responded with a run in the bottom of the frame to increase their lead back to 3-1 thanks to a two-out wild pitch with the bases loaded. Then, in the bottom of the fifth inning, MVNU broke the game wide open with five runs on just two hits to take an 8-1 advantage. Freshman outfielder Jake Dickerson and freshman second baseman Sterling Harpst both had RBI singles in the inning, while freshman catcher Clint Spencer added a sacrifice fly with the other two runs scoring on an error and a wild pitch respectively. The Cougars tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to close out the scoring in the 12-1 win. Freshman infielder/outfielder Kenny McCambridge drove in the first run with a single, while junior shortstop Jordan Doherty capped the scoring with a three-run homer - his second of the year. Senior right-hander Kyle Barr (5-1) *(left)* earned the win for MVNU as he scattered seven hits and one run over seven innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. The victory was the 24th of his career as he is now tied for seventh place in school history in that category. He also moved into sixth place in school history in career innings pitched (253.2) and career strikeouts (251) as he lowered his career ERA to 3.44. Clint Nealeigh (0-2), the first of three Bethel pitchers, took the loss as he gave up eight hits, two walks, and seven runs over four-plus innings of work. Dane DeWitt allowed three hits, two walks, and five runs over 1.2 innings, and Aaron Patterson retired the only batter he faced. Doherty, Harpst, and sophomore outfielder Robert Kane paced the Cougars with two hits apiece, while Steven Steele and Drew Eads collected two hits each for the Pilots. MVNU took an early 2-0 lead in the second game in the bottom of the second inning without the benefit of a hit. A walk and two hit batsmen loaded the bases with one out and Harpst followed with a sacrifice fly to get the Cougars on the scoreboard. The second run came in on an error on a failed pickoff attempt. Bethel took advantage of an error by MVNU to plate an unearned run in the top of the third inning to pull within 2-1. However, the Cougars got the run back in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI single by Harpst to go on top 3-1. Then, in the top of the fifth inning, the Pilots used three hits and two errors to score three times and take a 4-3 advantage. That would prove to be all the scoring in the game as Bethel held on for the one-run win. Junior lefty Justin Brown (4-3) took the loss as he allowed seven hits, two walks, and four runs (only one earned) over five-plus innings with two strikeouts. Freshman lefty Cameron Juhasz tossed the final two scoreless innings and struck out one batter. Elliot Rowe (3-6) earned the win for the Pilots as he scattered five hits, two walks, and three runs (two earned) with six strikeouts over seven innings. Five different players collected a single each for MVNU in the game, while Bethel was led by Cody Nealeigh, who went 3-for-4, while Steele drove in two runs. The Cougars will return to action on Thursday when MVNU will travel to Goshen (Ind.) College for another MCC doubleheader that is slated to start at 2 p.m.

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