Cougars Close Regular Season with Pair of Wins at Saint Francis
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team (22-24, 17-19 CL) clinched fifth place in the Crossroads League after closing the regular season with a pair of wins over the University of Saint Francis (27-23, 21-15 CL) on Saturday, April 29.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vernon Nazarene | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 0 |
| Saint Francis (Ind.) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vernon Nazarene | 0 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 11 | 3 |
| Saint Francis (Ind.) | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 2 |
Team Stats
Game 1
Saint Francis (Ind.)
Game 2
Saint Francis (Ind.)
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team (22-24, 17-19 CL) clinched fifth place in the Crossroads League after closing the regular season with a pair of wins over the University of Saint Francis (27-23, 21-15 CL) on Saturday, April 29.
MVNU took game one by a score of 8-7. Damien Kandel got MVNU on the board first in the top of the second with a two-run homer to put MVNU up 2-0. Two runs for MVNU in the next inning put it up 4-0. The bats for MVNU stayed hot as they helped build an 8-4 lead heading into the ninth. The hosts did not go away however as they threatened with three runs in the bottom of the inning. The comeback attempt fell short for USF as Cruz McFadden eventually forced a fly-out to leftfield to secure the win for MVNU.
Reese Willoughby was the winning pitcher for MVNU. The freshman pitched six innings and allowed four hits and four earned runs. Willoughby had five strikeouts.
MVNU took game two by a score of 15-12. The game was delayed in the bottom of the seventh and eventually called due to the weather. Trailing 7-8 heading into the fourth, MVNU exploded for six runs to claim a 13-8 lead. A homerun by Hogan Heck and an RBI from Casey Kalman in the sixth helped MVNU hold on for the win. Heck had a huge day as he finished 3-5 at the plate with five RBI to go with his homerun. Kalman finished 3-5 with three RBI of his own in the high scoring affair.
What's Next
With the wins, MVNU has claimed the No.5 seed in the Crossroads League Baseball Tournament, hosted by Huntington University. MVNU will play Bethel University in the play-in game on Wednesday, May 3 at 3:30pm.
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.