MARYVILLE - The Scots overcame a late three-run Covenant surge to earn a thrilling 7-6 comeback win on Thursday evening at Scotland Yard. The win moves Maryville to 23-8 on the season, while Covenant falls to 13-17.
After trailing 6-5 heading into the bottom of the eighth, Maryville plated two crucial runs to retake the lead and held on in the ninth to seal the win.
Covenant struck first, scoring in each of the first two innings, including an RBI single from Johnson and an unearned run thanks to a Maryville miscue. Maryville answered with runs in the first, third, and fourth innings, highlighted by a solo homer from third baseman Matt Hall in the third and an RBI triple from D. Dettwille in the fourth. This marked Hall's first home run as a Scot.
"It felt really good" Hall said. "You know, I haven't hit one of those in a long time, so when I hit it, I knew it was gonna go".
"We've been telling him that at some point it's going to happen" Coach Clint Helton said. " We told him he he's gotta just make sure he gets back to his approach and not swinging for the fence each time. Really happy for him. He is one of the best teammates we have out there".
The Scots of Covenant stayed persistent, powered by a big night from designated hitter Carter, who finished 3-for-5 with a home run, double, three runs scored, and an RBI. Covenant erupted for three runs in the eighth to take a 6-5 lead, capped off by a two-run swing thanks to a wild pitch and RBI ground out.
But Maryville wasn't done. Frank Derner led off the bottom of the eighth with his third hit of the night, and after a hit-by-pitch and wild pitch moved runners into scoring position, Zach Devries came through with a game-tying RBI single. Moments later, an error by Covenant's catcher allowed the go-ahead run to score, giving Maryville the 7-6 edge.
Xavier Resto (2-0) earned the win in relief, allowing just one run over 1.2 innings. J. Schock (1-2) took the loss for Covenant after surrendering two runs in the decisive eighth inning.
Both teams swung the bats well, with Covenant totaling 15 hits and Maryville collecting 13. Gilbert led Covenant with a 3-for-4 day, while Derner and Hall each had multi-hit performances for the Scots of Maryville.
"One pitch mentality" Coach Helton said, speaking on close games. "You have to focus on your breathing and slow the game down, and when you do that, they stay locked in and you keep giving yourself a chance. Really proud of them for doing that, they showed a lot of poise and maturity in this game."
Maryville returns to action tomorrow with games at 1 & 4 PM, looking to keep its momentum going in the final stretch of the regular season, as they sit in first place in the conference with a two-game lead on Piedmont.
