Head Coach Mike Bender challenged the Montreat College baseball team over Spring Break, and they responded.  After a dismal three-game series sweep against Union College and a four-game losing skein that saw the Cavaliers drop to a season-worst 5-12 record, Montreat produced a rally that has seen them win five of their most recent six games.

Playing in Clearwater, Florida over break, the Cavaliers dropped the first game of a doubleheader against Dakota Wesleyan University on Monday, March 15.  Bender lamented the four consecutive losses but regretted more that his team was playing poorly and not growing as a squad that relied on each other and played cohesively.

His charges picked up the gauntlet that Bender had thrown down and tore into Dakota Wesleyan in the afternoon rematch, winning 15-3 behind Adam Speas' near-perfect day at the plate (he went 4-4 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI) and Adam Hughes' much-needed pitching performance, which saw him pick up the win.  Dustin Bartlett's grand slam homer in the 3rd established a lead that the Tigers never overcame.

Montreat faced Dordt College next and repeatedly punctured the Defenders' defense in an 18-3 rout.  Speas' torrid hitting continued as the senior collected a grand slam of his own, but Josh Ashton's bat made an even greater impact, as the senior outfielder went 4-4 from the plate and drove in 6 runs, four of those on the Cavs' third grand slam in two games.

Suddenly, Montreat was a team no opponent likely wished to face, and Grace College offered little resistance as the Cavaliers rode Steven Hoyle's outstanding pitching performance to a 10-0 win that was highlighted by junior Tommy Reed's inside-the-park home run and 3 RBI.  Hoyle pitched six innings and yielded only one hit while striking out 6 Lancers. 

On March 20, Montreat faced Bluefield College and split a doubleheader, losing the first encounter 5-4 against a tough Appalachian Athletic Conference rival before rebounding to cruise to an 11-1 win.  The Cavaliers completed their Spring Break with a 9-13 overall record and have struggled to a 2-6 mark in the AAC. 

Bender commented on the unpredictable game he manages: "I challenged the team, and they won three games in a row on the mercy rule."  The losses prove that Bender's Cavaliers need to, and the overwhelming wins prove that they can, get better in every phase of the game.