Baseball Closes Cleary Series with Pair of Wins

WESTFIELD, Ind. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team (4-2) closed its four-game series against Cleary University (1-3) with a pair of victories on Tuesday, February 17 at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.

The first game of the day was scoreless until MVNU broke through at the bottom of the third inning thanks to a two-run single by Rider Minnick that scored Kevin Inman and Carter LaPata. Cleary responded in the top of the seventh, tying the game after getting a run due to a wild pitch and from a solo homerun. With the game now tied at 2-2, MVNU loaded the bases. Alejandro Delgado drew a walk, bringing in LaPata for the winning run. Armando Gonzalez started on the mound for the Cougars in the 3-2 win, pitching five scoreless innings. Gonzalez had three strikeouts and allowed just two hits. Austin Fox was the winning pitcher for MVNU, going two innings. Fox allowed three hits, two runs, and had three strikeouts.

MVNU carried over its momentum from the first game into the next, as the bats were loud for the Cougars throughout. Despite trailing 0-1 after the top of the first, MVNU exploded for five runs at the bottom of the frame, putting it up 5-1. Minnick and Brady Lester each drove home a run, followed by Lester eventually scoring from third after a wild pitch. Andrew Moffitt later scored, followed by Tyler Ooten scoring off an RBI-double from Inman. The five-run inning propelled MVNU to a 10-2 victory. Inman finished the game two-for-two at the plate, to go with his first career homerun and three RBI.

Grant Peters was the winning pitcher for MVNU, pitching five scoreless innings of relief. Peters allowed just two hits while striking out four.

What's Next

MVNU will head to Melbourne, Florida on February 27 where it will begin its Spring Break trip with a series against Bethel University. The doubleheader is set for 10:00 a.m.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, 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 2,200 students from 36 states, 1 U.S. commonwealth and 41 foreign countries.