WILMORE, Ky. — In their opening Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) weekend series, Asbury baseball (7-12, 2-1 CCS) bounced back from a game-one loss on Friday by earning a pair of victories on Saturday over Covenant College (8-10, 1-2 CCS), taking the doubleheader 6-2 and 13-9.
Game One | ASBURY 6, COVENANT 2
Covenant struck first in the top of the first inning when Daniel Counts launched a two-run home run to give the Scots an early 2–0 lead.
The Eagles answered in the third inning with an aggressive rally on the base-paths. Hank Burns swiped home to put Asbury on the board before Josh McNulty delivered an RBI single to score Andrew Billington and tie the game. Hayden Fisher then followed with an RBI double to left field, giving Asbury a 3–2 advantage.
Asbury extended the lead in the fourth. Avery Hare reached and later scored when Hank Burns ripped an RBI double to left. Burns would later cross the plate on a wild pitch, pushing the Eagles' lead to 5–2.
McNulty added insurance in the sixth inning with his first career home run, to cap the scoring at 6–2.
On the mound, Cayden Devine earned his first win of the season, working five innings while allowing two runs on three hits with four strikeouts. Adam Campbell was dominant out of the bullpen, tossing four scoreless innings and allowing no hits while striking out four to secure the victory.
The Eagles tallied 10 hits in the contest. Burns led the offense with a 3-for-4 game, scoring twice and driving in a run. McNulty added two hits, two RBI's, and two runs scored, while Fisher collected two hits and an RBI. Hare also recorded a two-hit performance.
Asbury's defense and pitching held Covenant scoreless after the first inning, limiting the Scots to just three hits in the game.
Game Two | ASBURY 13, COVENANT 9
The Eagles wasted no time getting the offense started in the opening frame. Josh McNulty delivered an RBI single to score Andrew Billington before Aaron Beaman followed with an RBI fielder's choice to plate Hayden Fisher. Cam Weaver added an RBI single, and CJ Hussey knocked in another run with a single to left field.
Hank Burns capped the explosive inning with a two-run double to center, giving Asbury a commanding 6–0 lead after one inning.
Covenant responded in the second when Ezra Finton launched a two-run home run, trimming the lead to 6–2, and the Scots added another run in the third on an RBI single from Daniel Counts.
Asbury quickly answered in the bottom of the third. Avery Hare drove in a run with a sacrifice fly before Hussey blasted his first career home run to extend the Eagles' advantage to 8–3.
The Eagles continued to apply pressure in the fourth inning as McNulty delivered another RBI single and Beaman followed with an RBI hit to push the lead to 10–3.
Asbury added three more runs in the fifth inning. Billington doubled home a run before Fisher drove in Edison Burke with a groundout. Beaman later added a sacrifice fly to make it 13–3.
Covenant attempted a late comeback, scoring two runs in the seventh, two more in the eighth on a Nate Jones home run, and two in the ninth. However, the early offensive outburst proved too much to overcome as the Eagles secured the 13–9 victory.
Devin Walker earned the win for Asbury, tossing six innings and allowing three runs while striking out seven. The Eagles used a bullpen combination of Adam Thompson, Levi Kelly, Drew Dugger, and Andrew Gilliam to finish the game.
Offensively, Asbury totaled 16 hits in the contest. Aaron Beaman led the way with a three-hit, three-RBI performance, while CJ Hussey also recorded three hits including a home run and two RBI's.
McNulty added two hits and two RBI's, while Billington scored three runs and added a pair of hits. Burke also collected two hits and scored twice.
With the wins, Asbury claimed the CCS series over Covenant and improved to 2-1 in conference play.
"I really liked the way we competed today. From the start, the energy felt different. Felt great to bounce back and get a conference series win."
Hank Burns | Sophomore | Louisville, Ky. | Media Communications
AU looks ahead to LaGange College for a Saturday CCS doubleheader, March 21st in LaGrange, Ga., first pitch set for 2 PM.
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Josh McNulty | 4 H, HR (First Career), 4 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
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Hank Burns | 4 H, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2B
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CJ Hussey | 3 H, HR (First Career), 2 RBI, 2 R
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Aaron Beaman | 4 H, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2B
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Cayden Devine | 5 IP, 3 H, 4 K, W (1-3)
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Devin Walker | 6 IP, 3 H, 7 K, W (2-3)
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Adam Campbell | 4 IP, 0 H, 0 ER
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