Joseph Marvin: Assistant Sports Information Director
Photo Credit: Thom Kennedy '21 Instagram @thomkphoto
MARION, N.C. - The Brevard College Tornados Baseball team (7-23, 2-19 USAS) staved off a ninth-inning rally to claim a series-opening USA South Conference victory over the Covenant Scots (12-19, 5-13 USAS), 5-4, at Big League Camp in Marion, N.C.
Junior pitcher Kross Robinson (1-6) earned his first win of the 2019 season in emphatic fashion, striking out 10 Covenant batters over the course of his six and two-thirds innings of work. Robinson allowed just two hits and one run in the game, with the run being unearned.
After the Scots drew within just a run heading into the ninth inning, freshman pitcher and two-time USA South Baseball Rookie Pitcher of the Week Matthew Scavotto came in and closed the door on Covenant's late rally. Despite letting two Covenant baserunners reach with a leadoff walk and single, Scavotto remained composed, striking out the next two batters he faced before forcing a game-clinching groundout to third base.
BC enjoyed a solid night offensively, as both Christian Ezzell and Ryan Roon had multi-hit games. Ezzell went 2-for-4 in the DH spot, scoring two runs and tallying two RBIs on a double. Roon posted a 2-for-5 night, scoring once as well.
Matthew Kelley drove in two RBIs, while JJ Wilkes came across the plate twice.
Both sides left their fair share of runners on base. The Tornados left a total of 11 runners on, while the Scots stranded 10 baserunners.
Covenant drew two walks in the top of the first to put together a scoring threat, but Robinson and the Tornado defense got out of it, forcing a fly out to center fielder Donny Carsillo. BC followed suit in the bottom of the inning, putting together a two-out rally to load the bases. However, Covenant's Andrew Cline forces a strikeout swinging to end the threat.
Both sides went down quietly offensively in the second and third innings before breaking through in the fourth. Covenant used a leadoff double, a walk, and a sacrifice bunt to place runners on second and third with one out. The game's first run came by way of a passed ball, giving the Scots a 1-0 lead.
The Tornados similarity placed runners on second and third base in the bottom half of the inning. Kelley plated Brevard's first run with an RBI groundout, followed by a Brae Wooten RBI single to give BC the advantage, 2-1.
BC used Ezzell's two-RBI double and a Kelley RBI single to score three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, extending its lead to 5-1.
Covenant drew two walks in the top of the seventh to chase Robinson, but reliever Kyle Williams forced a fly out to end the scoring opportunity.
The Scots' offense caught fire in the top of the eighth, using two hits, two walks, and a wild pitch to score three runs, closing the margin to 5-4.
BC had a great opportunity to add insurance to their lead in the home half of the inning, loading the bases with nobody out. However, three-straight outs thwarted the threat.
The Scots drew a leadoff walk on Scavotto in the top of the ninth inning, followed by a single. Both baserunners advanced on a fielding mistake on the single, placing runners on second and third with nobody out.
Scavotto, a freshman from Charlotte, N.C., answered back emphatically, striking out the next two Covenant batters. The game's last batter came down to a 3-2 count, where Scavotto forced him to ground out to third, clinching the victory for the Tornados.
Brevard and Covenant will have Sunday off before resuming their three-game conference series. The Tornados and Scots will match up at Gil Coan Field on the campus of Brevard College on Monday, April 15, with a doubleheader scheduled for 12 and 3 p.m. BC will hold its Senior Day ceremony before the first game, where senior RHP Michael Merryman will be honored.
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