CLEVELAND, Ga. (Feb. 22, 2020) – After shutting out the Trailblazers 8-0 on Friday, the Truett McConnell University baseball team clinched the three-game series sweep over Ohio Christian University on Saturday afternoon. The Bears won 6-0 and 6-2 to improve to 7-9 on the season, while the Trailblazers fell to 4-14.
GAME TWO 6-0
Following a scoreless first inning, sophomore Connor Bearden sparked the bottom of the second with a walk and eventually scored the first run of the game on Tanner Griffith's hit by pitch (1-0). Senior Calob Rowland hit a sacrifice fly out to deep center field to drive home sophomore Jacob Ross, who reached base on a single to right field (2-0). The third inning saw zero runs and the fourth saw both teams leave two on base, but the Bears got hot in the fifth. Ross singled again to shallow left field to score freshman Brian Meyer (3-0) and sophomore Grant McDonel hit a sacrifice bunt to score fellow sophomore Andrew Johnston (4-0). Rowland, however, scored two more for the Bears on a single to deep left field, which ultimately proved to put the game out of reach (6-0).
LEADERS
Ross led the way going 2-for-3 with two runs, while McDonel went 1-for-2 with an RBI. Rowland added two RBI's and a hit.
Junior Craig Barton pitched a complete shutout game allowing four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts.
GAME THREE 6-2
Griffith bunted and reached base on a hit to lead off and scored the first run for TMU on Devyn Munroe's single to shallow right-center (1-0) in the bottom of the first. Munroe scored another run on Ross' single to right-center to immediately put the Bears at two-run advantage (2-0). Despite a scoreless second inning, A. Johnston singled to deep center field to send home Munroe and Meyer in the bottom of the third (4-0), and the Bears went on to add two more runs in the fourth. Bearden ran home on a defensive error from Griffith's batted ball (5-0) and McDonel rounded out TMU's final run of the day on Munroe's single to shallow left (6-0).
Two hits allowed OCU to score a run in the sixth (6-1) and the Trailblazers earned another run in the seventh on a homer over the left field fence (6-2). But Miller McCathren struck out his next batter and forced his final batter to line into a double play to ultimately claim the series sweep.
LEADERS
Munroe went perfect at the plate (2-for-2) with two runs and two RBI's, while A. Johnston went 2-for-3 with two RBI's.
Junior Cason Brown claimed the win after 6.0 innings of five hits, one earned run, zero walks and three strikeouts.
UP NEXT
The Bears are set to host the defending NAIA national champions, No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan University, for their Appalachian Athletic Conference season opener on Friday, Feb. 28, at 12:00 p.m. (DH), and Saturday, Feb. 29, at 1:00 p.m.
