Box Score The No. 23 Maryville College baseball team opened their key USA South Athletic Conference series with Covenant College with a 9-1 victory on Thursday evening on MC's Scotland Yard.
Maryville took advantage of a four-run first inning and strong starting pitching by sophomore left-hander Anthony Rodriguez to move to 20-5 overall and 5-5 in USA South action.
An RBI single down the left field line by Alden Wright and a sacrifice fly by Christian Poulsen highlighted Maryville's first inning scoring as MC hit through the lineup.
Covenant answered in the third inning with an RBI single to left field by lead-off hitter Devin Cerrato scoring third baseman Austin Trammell.
MC added a run in the fourth inning on an Andrew Henry RBI single up the middle scoring Hayden Hollingsworth.
Drew Johnson plated Jake Petersen in the fifth on an RBI single to left field before Hollingsworth scored on a wild pitch in the sixth.
Maryville's Anthony Rodriguez earned his second victory of the season tossing six complete innings, scattering five hits, striking out seven, while allowing only one earned run.
MC senior right-hander Jerod Dickey earned his second save of the season going the final three shut-out innings striking out four while scattering only three hits.
The Scots added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth when Brandon O'Neil laced a single up the middle for an RBI scoring Andrew Henry before Christian Poulsen drove in Mike Homan with a single to left field.
Maryville's nine-hit attack was paced by Andrew Henry finishing 2-for-2 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI. Lead-off hitter Hayden Hollingsworth collected his 25th stolen base of the season while going 1-for-3 with three runs scored. Jake Petersen scored a pair of runs while Christian Poulsen added a pair of RBI.
The loss drops Covenant College to 9-14 overall and 7-6 in USA South play.
The battle of the Scots will conclude on Friday with a double header on MC's Scotland Yard beginning at 3:00 p.m.
