Cougars Fall to Huntington & Marion as Pitching Goes Cold
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Huntington | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 10 | 1 |
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 3 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 3 |
|
Marian | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | X | 12 | 13 | 3 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Monday afternoon the University of Saint Francis Cougars (27-27) faced off against the Huntington University Foresters (26-21) in the second round of the Crossroads League Tournament but couldn't carry over their momentum from Mount Vernon as they fell 15-8.
Freshman Deron Swanson took the mound to start the game for the Cougars and threw a scoreless first inning, but after the Cougars went quietly in their half of the frame, the Foresters began a route.
It started in the top of the second when four hits and three walks led to six runs for Huntington as Swanson was taken out of the game.
Matters only worsened though for the Cougars and their bullpen through the next several innings. Three more runs in the third along with another in the fourth put Saint Francis behind by double digits.
Then a two-out rally in the top of the fifth plated a couple more runs, and then three more in the sixth put the Cougars in a seemingly insurmountable 15-0 deficit.
The Cougars had struck out seven times through the first five-plus innings but come the bottom of the sixth their bats came to life.
Designated hitter David Miller sparked the Cougars with a leadoff home run to dead centerfield as Saint Francis was now on the board, but they did not stop there. The next three batters loaded the bases with nobody out, and then a bases-loaded walk, a two-run single and a sacrifice fly by left fielder Alec Brunson plated five runs for the Cougars.
Then David Miller came back up for his second at-bat of the inning and followed with his second home run of the frame for a three-run shot as the Cougars enjoyed an eight-run inning to get back in the ballgame at 15-8.
Freshman pitcher Lukas North came in to relieve in the seventh and held the Foresters scoreless in the next three innings to keep the Cougars in the game.
Heading to the bottom of the ninth, the Cougars needed one last big rally, but a double play ended the game as the Cougars came up short.
Now facing the Marian University Knights in the elimination game, the Cougars fell behind 8-3 in the first five innings, and never were able to catch back up as they fell 12-8 to be eliminated from the tournament.