The Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team ended its season on Wednesday, May 19 in Kingsport, Tennessee, in the opening round semifinals with a 5-3 loss to top-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan.
The Cougars gave the No. 1 team in the country all they could handle. MVNU (34-21) jumped on top of the Bulldogs early, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Aaron Saal hit a sacrifice fly to score Toby Walker from third.
Tennessee Wesleyan responded right back with a solo home run by Jhosmel Rodriguez to tie the game at 1 in the top of the second.
The Bulldogs (53-5) would score another run in the sixth on an Alex Flock sacrifice fly to take a 2-1 lead.
But MVNU turned it on in the eighth. A Jake Glover single to right field scored Walker to tie the game at 2. MVNU took a 3-2 lead on a passed ball that allowed Andrew Miller to score from third.
The Bulldogs battled back in the top of the ninth, taking the lead on a two-run single by Carson Ford. They tacked on another run to take a 5-3 lead when Bryce Joyce scored on a fielder’s choice.
Shamoy Christopher had three hits, and Rodriguez and Zach Hogueisson added two hits each. Ford had two RBIs to lead the Bulldogs.
Brandon Mason got the win, tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Irving Martin, who allowed two earned runs over 7 1/3 innings.
Adam Goodpaster had an outstanding performance against the nation’s No.1 team. He pitched eight innings, allowing seven hits and just two earned runs while striking out 10 batters on the day.
Walker went 3-for-4 with two runs, Glover finished the game 2-for-3 with an RBI and Saal drove in the other Cougar run.
MVNU dominated the University of Northwestern Ohio in a 20-1 victory on the second day of the NAIA National Tournament opening round. The Cougars wasted no time on the diamond, as they put up 15 runs on 13 hits in the very first inning of play.
MVNU became the first team in the National Tournament opening round to score 15 runs in a game, and they only needed one inning of work to do so.
As a team, MVNU batted .488 on the night. Eight different Cougars had multiple hits, and four had three or more in the contest.
With 15 runs on the board early, starting pitcher Kaleb Bauman was given plenty of run support to settle in and get the job done on the mound. He pitched 7 2/3 strong innings for the Cougars.
Glover led the Cougars at the plate, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Cameron Miller went 3-for-6 with four RBIs for MVNU.
Saal went 4-for-6 at the plate with two RBIs and three runs, Hogan Heck was 2-for-5 with three RBIs and Andrew Miller was 2-for-5 with two RBIs for the Cougars.
Walker also had a strong outing for MVNU at the plate. The junior centerfielder went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and scored three runs.
Saal named Crossroads League Player of the Year
The Crossroads League announced its honors for the 2020-21 season on Tuesday, May 18.
The Cougars had five players who received All-League honors in Saal, Glover, Chris Kline, Walker and Andrew Miller.
Saal was named Crossroads League Player of the Year. The senior third baseman from Wooster, Ohio, hit .411 this year, leading the league in batting average. He also ranked first in the league in hits with 78 and racked up 63 RBIs. Saal had a .679 slugging percentage to go with 12 homers, 13 doubles and a triple. The sixth-year senior was also named to the All-Crossroads League First Team.
Glover, a junior from Miamisburg, Ohio, was also named to the All-Crossroads League First Team. He put together a very solid season with a .352 batting average in 179 at bats. He accounted for 10 home runs and 14 doubles with a slugging percentage of .609. Glover recorded 63 hits and 26 walks on the season and also led the league in runs batted in with 65. Along with being a standout at first base, he was also stellar on the mound as a pitcher, compiling a 6-2 record to go along with a 3.91 ERA.
The Cougars had three players receive honorable mention recognition in Kline, Walker and Andrew Miller.
Along with the honorable mention honor, Kline, a junior from Millersburg, Ohio, also earned a spot on the Gold Glove Team at shortstop. He batted .306 on the season with a slugging percentage of .392.
Walker, a junior from Archbold, Ohio, was a strong lead-off batter for MVNU. He batted .314 on the season with 55 hits and 55 runs scored.
Andrew Miller, a freshman from Millersburg, Ohio, was solid hitting in the third spot in the lineup. He hit .337 this year with a .435 slugging percentage.
Broce, Bunner receive Crossroads League Honorable Mention honors
The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women’s golf team had two members — Casey Bunner and Peyton Broce — receive honorable mention honors this season, the Crossroads League reported on Tuesday, May 18.
The two were consistently the top-two for the Cougars all season long. Broce recently finished sixth overall in the Crossroads League Championship, which was good enough for All-Tournament recognition as she shot a 234 over three rounds.
Bunner finished fourth overall in the Ackerman-Allen Shootout near the end of the season with a 158 in two rounds.
