On Monday and Tuesday, the Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars baseball team swept back-to-back doubleheaders to improve to 23-10 and 10-4 in Crossroads League play.
MVNU took a twin bill from the Goshen College Maple Leafs 8-4 and 6-2 on April 4. The Cougars then swept the Lourdes University Gray Wolves 12-3 and 7-1 on April 5.
Against Goshen, the Cougars wasted no time in the opener, scoring three runs in the first. Casey Kalman hit a sacrifice fly that scored Andrew Miller. Hunter Billman hit a two-run single that scored Devin Pearl and Jake Glover to make the score 3-0.
MVNU tacked on another run in the fourth on a Joe Poremsky sacrifice fly that brought home Pearl.
The Maple Leafs continued to fight as they outscored MVNU 4-1 from that point until the ninth inning. Leading by a score of 6-4, MVNU put the game away with two runs in the ninth. Glover hit a solo bomb, and Cooper Crawford hit an RBI single that scored Brady Wallace, putting MVNU up by a final of 8-4.
Kaleb Bauman had a strong start for the Cougars, pitching six innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs. He struck out five in the win.
In the second game, MVNU started fast again to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. A Glover single scored Toby Walker to give MVNU the run.
The Cougars added to their lead in the third on another Glover RBI that once again scored Walker. In the sixth, Wallace scored off a Hogan Heck bunt. After an error, Heck scored in the same inning to make the score 4-0.
After giving up a Goshen run, MVNU responded in the top of the seventh with a two-run Glover homer.
Noah Gleason got the start, pitching 6 2/3 innings and striking out eight. Gleason allowed just four hits and one earned run.
The following day against Lourdes, the Cougars came out firing on all cylinders, scoring runs in five of the seven innings of play.
MVNU scored two runs in the top of the first with RBIs from Casey Kalman and Devin Pearl. MVNU took control of the game with a five-run second highlighted by Pearl’s bases-loaded triple. The runs continued, and MVNU took the 12-3 decision.
Nathan Meikle got the win on the mound, going six innings, allowing two hits and one earned run.
Game two saw the Cougars go to work in the second on an RBI double by Damien Kandel. Glover and Kalman each had an RBI in the third inning to put the Cougars up 3-0.
The Gray Wolves were finally able to get a run across in the fourth, but the Cougars responded by scoring four more runs. Glover blasted a two-run double that was followed by RBI-singles from Hunter Billman and Zackary Hoop.
Austin Brown went 5 1/3 innings on the mound for the Cougars. He allowed five hits and no earned runs while striking out five hitters in the 7-1 win.
