LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN -- The Covenant baseball team had a successful weekend, sweeping Emory & Henry, including both games of a doubleheader on Saturday. The Scots (3-0) won the first game 6-0 and held on to take the second game 7-5.
Scott Gillespie had four hits and drove in four runs, while KC Simons had four runs scored, three walks, two hits, and two RBIs.
Game 1: Covenant 6, Emory & Henry 0
In the first game, Covenant scored six runs in the first three innings and Micah Mabe pitched five innings of one-hit ball to make it hold up in a 6-0 victory.
In the first inning, the Scots got on the board with Perry Rigby's RBI groundout that scored Simons, who stole third as part of a double steal with Gillespie.
Covenant would erupt for four runs in the second to take a 5-0 lead. Alex Kerr led off the inning with a walk and advanced to third on a double to left center by Luke Harvey. Both would score on a single by Simons after Andrew Beck walked to load the bases. After stealing second, Simons advanced to third on Gillespie's sacrifice fly that scored Beck. A wild pitch by Emory & Henry's Aaron Sparks allowed Simons to score.
The Scots tacked on an unearned in the third when Caleb Bloye, hitting with runners on first and second, laid down a sacrifice bunt. First baseman Bransen Christopher couldn't handle the throw, which got past him and allowed Will Cleland to come around and score for the game's final margin.
Staked to the early lead, Mabe made it stand up, throwing 77 pitches, 59 of which were in the strike zone. He surrendered just one hit, a double by Jordan Woullard. Mabe (1-0) walked one and struck out five to get the victory.
Taylor Bloye pitched the final two innings to secure the win.
Simons led the Scots offensively with two hits in three at-bats to go with a pair of RBIs and runs scored.
Emory & Henry's Sparks (0-1) picks up the loss after going four innings and allowing six runs, five earned.
Game 2: Covenant 7, Emory & Henry 5
In game two, Covenant took an early lead that they never relinquished, but had to hold off a Wasps rally in the late innings for a 7-5 win.
Jonah Paul started the game and was effective and efficient early, surrendering only two hits while striking out four through the first four innings.
Covenant again scored in the first inning, this time with the aid of Emory & Henry starter Garrett Butler's wildness. Butler, who walked six on the day, walked Cleland with one out. After a single by Gillespie, Butler hit Will Carlton to load the bases, then walked Kerr to force in a run.
Butler minimized the damage, however, with some help from his defense. Bloye flied out and Gillespie was thrown out trying to score by right fielder Brandon Lineberry.
In the second, Beck's solo home run gave the Scots a 2-0 lead. It was Beck's first of the season and second career round-tripper.
In the fifth, Paul began to show signs of tiring, allowing a single and a double in the inning. He finished the inning unscathed, however, as Simons threw to third to catch Chris Benton trying to advance on a routine ground ball to short and Gillespie's strong throw from right field on Brett Johnson's double helped cut down Holden Watkins as he attempted to score from first.
In Covenant's half of the fifth, Butler was removed from the game after walking Simons with one out. After a single by Cleland, Gillespie came through with a big two-run single to stretch the lead to 4-0.
The Scots would need those runs as the Wasps got back into the game in the top of the sixth, scoring three times. Carson Bryant doubled in one run and scored on an RBI groundout before Lineberry made it 4-3 with a long, solo home run.
The Scots responded with three runs of their own in the bottom half, all unearned, on a hit-by-pitch, two errors, a walk, and a single.
Emory & Henry cut the lead to 7-5 on a two run-run double by Christopher and had the tying run at first base when Alec Mitchell came in and induced Matthew Whisnant to ground out to end the game.
Paul (1-0) receives the victory for Covenant. The right-hander went 5.2 innings allowing three runs on six hits with four strikeouts. Mitchell gets credit for his second save in as many days after getting the final out in the seventh.
Gillespie went 3-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Scots offensively.
Emory & Henry's Butler (0-1) is saddled with the loss after giving up three runs on just two hits. Bryant and Lineberry each had two hits.
Next week, Covenant has another three-game series over the weekend. The Scots host USA South foe Methodist at 2 p.m. on Friday and will play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 11 a.m.