CLEVELAND, Ga. (Mar. 13, 2021) – After winning Friday's game, the Truett McConnell University baseball team came up short twice in Saturday's doubleheader against St. Andrews University (8-5, 4-1), which is their second Appalachian Athletic Conference series loss of the season. TMU fell to 11-9, 2-4 AAC on the year, while the Knights improved to 10-7, 5-4 AAC.
 
GAME ONE 5-8
After two scoreless innings, the Knights got up on the board first on a double to right-center (0-1). Three and a half more innings went by without either team able to score, but a leadoff walk for SAU allowed a big four-run inning for the visiting Knights in the seventh (0-5). TMU left two on base in the bottom half while SAU added three more at the top of the eighth (0-8). Will Ingram's leadoff single to center sparked a two-run inning in response (2-8), and the Bears rallied in the bottom of the ninth to score three more (5-8), but it proved not enough as SAU made the series even with the game two win.
 
LEADERS
Mason Gaines led the offense going 2-for-4 at the plate with one RBI. Andrew Johnston went 1-for-2, while Josh Johnston added a double and led with two RBIs. Cason King and Ingram added one hit apiece, while Mascarello added one RBI. Pitcher Cason Brown made the start for TMU throwing six innings of two hits, two earned runs, two walks and five strikeouts. Jared Johnson, Jacob Adams, Gabe Dyar and C.J. Thomas all relieved.
 
GAME TWO 1-4
The Knights scored first again in the top of the third off of two hits (0-2) and added two more runs in the top of the sixth (0-4) while TMU was still held scoreless. The Bears left two on base in the fifth, which was the closest they were to scoring, before a late rally in the bottom of the seventh. King led off with a single to center and scored on Devyn Munroe's hit by pitch but it proved not enough as the Knights secured the series win over the Bears (1-4). 
 
LEADERS
A. Johnston led with a triple, while Ingram, J. Johnston, A. Johnston, King and Julian Galassi added one hit apiece. Junior Brooks Rosser made the start on the mound for TMU and suffered the loss throwing five innings of three hits, two runs, three walks and eight strikeouts. Jonathan Joiner relieved for two innings allowing four hits, two runs, one walk and tallying three strikeouts. 
 
UP NEXT
The Bears will now enter into a nine-game road schedule. First, TMU will travel to Montreat College on Tuesday, March 16 at 2:00 p.m., before heading to Point University for another AAC series on Friday, March 19 – Saturday, March 20.