Cougars Drop Two Games on Saturday

AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team (4-3, 3-1 CL) lost its doubleheader to Ave Maria University (16-5, 3-0) and Lawrence Tech University (3-7, 0-0) on Saturday, March 4 as part of the RussMatt Tournament.

The Cougars lost to Ave Maria by a score of 6-3 in the first game of the day. In game two, MVNU lost 18-11 to Lawrence Tech.

In game one, Ave Maria jumped on the Cougars for two runs in the first inning, tacked on three in the sixth, and scored an insurance run in the ninth. The Cougars got on the scoreboard in the third inning via Rider Minnick's RBI single which scored Ty Williams. Hunter Billman's two-run homer in the sixth made it 5-3 but the Gyrenes scored one more in the top of the ninth to seal the win. Reese Willoughby got tagged with the loss on the mound for MVNU. He gave up two runs on four hits and three walks in 4.0 innings of work. Willoughby struck out four batters.

In the second game, Lawrence Tech jumped on MVNU with four runs in the top of the first. A huge, 10-run sixth inning put the Blue Devils up 16-2, but the Cougars fought back to hang eight runs on Lawrence Tech in the bottom of the inning. The comeback was not enough though for MVNU as the Blue Devils went on to win 18-11. Casey Kalman was 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and two runs, Joe Poremsky was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and a run scored, and Ty Williams was 2-for-5 in the game, also with a double, two RBI, and a run. Joey Lopez was a bright spot despite the loss; the freshman pitcher struck out six batters in 3.1 innings of no-hit baseball. 

What's Next

The Cougars have Sunday off before they regroup to face Fort Lauderdale on Monday, March 6 in Auburndale. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00pm.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,000 students from 25 states and 11 foreign countries.