MISHAWAKA, Ind. – The Spring Arbor University baseball team completed the season sweep of Bethel College with a pair of wins on Wednesday afternoon. The Cougars scored four runs in the seventh inning to defeat the Pilots 7-3 in game one before posting a dominant 14-4 victory in the nightcap.

THE BASICS

SCORES: Spring Arbor 7, Bethel 3;

Spring Arbor 14, Bethel 4

LOCATION: Jenkins Stadium | Mishawaka, Ind.

RECORDS: Spring Arbor 15-14 (6-3 CL), Bethel 9-15 (1-7 CL)

GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS

• Spring Arbor trailed 3-1 entering the sixth inning, but managed to push two runs across – both with two outs – to even the score. A clutch, bases loaded single by Jacob King brought home Jack Driscoll and Vincent Herschberger.
• The Cougars erupted for four runs in the seventh to take the lead. Josiah Kitchen, James Hall and Driscoll ignited the rally with three consecutive bunt base hits. Chris Triplett was hit by a pitch to score the first run, and a wild pitch allowed the second run to cross the plate. Francisco Ondina lifted a sacrifice fly to drive in Driscoll, and Triplett stole home to cap the scoring.
• King, Kitchen and Emilio Perez collected two hits apiece while Driscoll scored twice.
• Evan Lorey got the start on the mound and pitched four innings surrendering three runs on two hits while striking out three batters. Nick Carroll tossed three innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win.

GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS

• Spring Arbor had the bats going right away in game two, scoring seven runs in the first three frames and never looking back. A two out, two RBI double by King highlight the first inning while a two-run home run by Lorey got the Cougars going in the fourth.
• Ondina went 4-for-7 at the plate with two doubles and two RBI's. Noah Brook went 3-for-5 and Lorey went 2-for-4, including his first collegiate home run, with two RBI's and two runs scored.
• Zachariah Devon pitched eight innings to earn the win on the mound. Devon allowed four runs on nine hits while fanning five. Andrew Manier also added a scoreless inning of relief.

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH RYAN MARKEN

• "Today was a very important day for us. We played really hard, pitched it really well, and executed in the clutch. I'm proud of our competitiveness."
• "We executed three straight bunts in the last inning to win game one. And then, our offense exploded in game two. Most impressively, we did the little things right today. Huge series sweep."
• "Looking forward to a great opportunity with Marian this weekend. It's always fun playing in front of our home crowd. We're going to need their support!"

UP NEXT

Spring Arbor hosts a three-game series against Marian University (9-15, 3-3 CL) this weekend. The Cougars and Knights will play a doubleheader on Friday, Mar. 30 starting at 1 p.m. and conclude the series with a single nine-inning game on Saturday, Mar. 31 beginning at 1 p.m..

STAY CONNECTED: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
DOWNLOAD OUR APPS: iOS (iPhone/iPad) | Android