SXU Athletics
On April 22 the Saint Xavier baseball team competes against Olivet Nazarene University in a doubleheader at Ferrell Field. The Cougars would split the doubleheader with five runs being enough to win game one, but not game two.
Game one started out splendidly for the Cougars as they held Olivet scoreless in the top of the first and then proceeded to score two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an early 2-0 lead.
The Cougars added to their lead in the very next inning as they scored two runs in the bottom of the second to make the score 4-0 after two innings of play.
The Tigers would not stay down the entire game as they would break through in the fourth inning, scoring one run to make the score 4-1. They also added another run in the fifth inning to cut the Cougars’ lead to 4-2.
With the game now becoming a close one, the Cougars started to feel pressure to make sure that they did not blow this game.
They helped alleviate some of the pressure that was on them in the bottom of the sixth inning where they scored one run off of a pinch hit an RBI single by Casey Papp to extend their lead to 5-2.
That run would prove to be vital as Olivet came storming back in the seventh inning . This comeback would also be helped along by Saint Xavier, who committed two errors in the inning to give their opponents life in the game after their first two batters recorded outs.
Having scored two unearned runs in the inning to make the score 5-4 and having the bases loaded for an opportunity to take the lead and the game from the Cougars, the pressure was at its highest as the Cougars were on the brink of blowing another game that they had dominated the entire time.
But they held on to their lead as pitcher Erik Eggert struck out the final batter and give the Cougars a 5-4 win.
Pitcher Tyler Hebel pitched well in this game. He pitched 6 2/3 innings while giving up only two earned runs, five hits, and one walk while striking out four batters and picking up his fourth win of the season.
Shortstop Alec Barnhart led the charge for the Cougars, going 2-4 from the plate with one RBI and scoring two runs.
In game two, it would be Olivet that would jump out to the early lead, scoring two runs in the first inning to make the score 2-0. The Cougars responded though, scoring two runs in the bottom of the second inning to tie the game at two.
Unfortunately for the Cougars, their pitching did not hold up in the game as they allowed Olivet to score five runs in the very next half inning to re-take the lead at 7-2. They also added another run to their total in the top of the fourth to extend their lead to 8-2.
The Cougars ended the Tigers’ surge in the bottom of the fourth when Barnhart hit a solo home run to cut their deficit to 8-3. The Cougars then scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to put the Cougars in striking distance at 8-5.
But that was as close as the Cougars would get, as Olivet shut out the Cougars the rest of the way and added a couple more runs to their lead en rout to a 10-5 win.
Once again, the offense was led by Barnhart as he went a perfect 3-3 from the plate with one home run, two rbis, and scoring two runs. He also showed great plate discipline as well, walking three times in this game.
With the split, the Cougars record now stands at 10-26 with a conference record of 8-17. Due to a rain out on Saturday, “Senior Day” was moved to Monday, April 27 against Trinity Christian College.
John Romando
Senior Sports Editor
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