Kylee Matern went 7-for-7 at the plate, and Mount Vernon Nazarene University got two solid pitching performances to lead the way to a Crossroads League doubleheader sweep over Taylor on Tuesday, April 27, in Mount Vernon.
Sheridan Sullivan got the win for MVNU in the opener as she gave up just one earned run on eight hits. She struck out eight batters in seven innings of work in the Cougars’ 9-5 victory.
Matern had a great day offensively. In Game 1, she went three-for-three in four plate appearances and walked on her fourth. She also scored twice and drove in a run.
Macee Marcum limited the damage in 6-3 win against the Trojans in Game 2, allowing just three runs in seven innings. She gave up 10 hits and struck out three batters.
Matern finished her afternoon 4-for-4 at the plate in Game 2, scoring a run and driving in one. She had two triples and two doubles on the day.
MEN’S GOLF
Brandon Main and Brock Dettmer both shot 245 and tied for 28th overall out of 45 golfers to lead MVNU in the Crossroads League Tournament at Orchard Ridge Black in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
For the tournament, MVNU finished seventh with a two-day final score of 982 (323, 333, 326) through three rounds of play, which wrapped up on Tuesday, April 27. Taylor (903) got the win, while Marian (907) and Spring Arbor (908) finished second and third, respectively.
Michael Hahn (245), Jordan Hoag (250) and Dylan Errington (251) rounded out the scores for the Cougars.
BASEBALL
A standout pitching performance from Ayden Head in Game 1 helped Kenyon to a doubleheader split versus Wooster on Wednesday, April 28, at McCloskey Field.
The Lords (4-6, 4-6) took the opener, 5-2; before falling to the 25th-ranked Fighting Scots (18-6, 9-3) 9-2 in the second contest.
Head tossed 6 1/3 innings, fanned a season-high seven batters, gave up just two hits and allowed a pair of unearned runs.
A wacky fourth inning, which saw Wooster score a half-dozen runs with no hits, ultimately led the visitors to the Game 2 victory.
Walsh 13, MVNU 7
MVNU (25-16) took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, thanks to an RBI single from Jake Glover that scored Toby Walker.
The Cougar lead would not last long, however, as Walsh (23-11) responded with four runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning and went on to a 13-7 win in non-conference play in North Canton.
Walsh’s seven-run fourth inning put the game out of reach.
Walker had a good day at the plate, finishing the game 3-for-5 with three hits. He also scored two runs.
Glover also turned in a 3-for-5 performance at the plate, driving in two runs.
Andrew Miller was two-for-four at the plate with two runs scored.
MEN’S TENNIS
Denison jumped out to a fast start by sweeping Wednesday’s three doubles matches at Jasper Tennis Center. Those wins set the stage for the rest of the competition, as the Big Red rolled to a 5-0 decision over host Kenyon on April 28 in Gambier.
The win was Denison’s second against Kenyon in this abbreviated 2021 season, and it improved the Big Red’s records to 9-2 overall and 6-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. The loss dropped Kenyon to 2-3 overall and 1-3 in NCAC play.
Denison recorded the first team point with an 8-3 victory in No. 2 doubles. The Big Red followed up with 8-5 wins in No. 3 doubles against Kenyon’s pairing of Evan Dean and Angelo Vidal, and then at No. 1 against Luis Andres Platas and Thomas Kallarakal.
In singles play, Kenyon battled but just couldn’t keep pace. Denison’s Marc-Lennart Harms took a 6-2, 6-0 win in No. 4, and Andy Mackler cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 triumph in No. 5 to clinch the overall team victory for the Big Red.
