Maybe it was pent-up energy after facing so many rain-outs or frustration at starting the season poorly, but something inspired Montreat College's baseball team as they took the field for a weekend series against Salem International University and delivered a powerful performance in a three-game sweep of the overwhelmed Tigers.  Wins by the scores of 13-0, 5-1, and 7-2 evened the Cavaliers' record at 3-3 and erased memories of a discouraging first few weeks of the season.

Playing on the home field of the Hickory Crawdads due to the muddy conditions in Montreat caused by weeks of rain and snow, the Cavaliers were finally able to take the field after facing six consecutive weather-related postponements that had kept them from playing a game since January 31st.  

In the first game at L.P. Frana Stadium in Hickory, pitcher Seth Blevins, a junior from Georgia, pitched 6 innings and recorded 5 strikeouts while allowing zero runs to earn the win.  Steven Hoyle and Chris Allen were both 4-4 from the plate and each drove in 2 runs.  Cam Duckworth found the gaps in the outfield as he reached base on a double and a triple.  

First-year Head Coach Michael Bender was pleased to see the offense produce, but the pitching and defense were particularly stellar in this game as Blevins and the bullpen allowed only 4 hits and the infield turned 5 double plays.

Game 2, the second of a Saturday doubleheader, was dominated by pitcher Jonathon Madera, a junior from Santiago, Dominican Republic, whose complete game 2-hitter featured 12 strikeouts and paved the way for a 5-1 Cavalier victory.  Hoyle also remained hot, collecting 3 more hits and 2 more RBI.  

If not for the classic pitching on display from Madero, senior shortshop Geno Sanchez may have stolen the show in game 2.  He certainly stole everything else, swiping 6 bases over the course of the two games.  

The two teams returned to Frana Stadium for a final game on Sunday, and again Montreat College controlled the proceedings, claiming a 7-2 win behind T.J. Fussell's effort, as his 6 innings on the mound yielded 5 strikeouts and his first win as a collegiate pitcher.  Casey Duckworth was 2-4 and Adam Speas went 2-3 with a double and an RBI to help complete the sweep.  

Montreat had started the season poorly, losing three games to Thomas University by a combined score of 30-8 (most of that deficit coming in one 0-18 hammering on January 30).  Finally given a chance to return to the diamond, the Cavaliers not only evened their season record at 3-3, they also wiped out a -22 run differential by outscoring the Tigers by exactly 22 runs, 25-3.  Funny what a little sunshine - and a three-game sweep - can do to a team's outlook.

Congratulations go, as well, to Coach Bender, who earned his first three wins as a manager on the college level.  

Bender's team next takes the field for one game on Tuesday, February 23 when they make the short drive over to Mars Hill to face the Lions at 2:30.