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Mount Vernon Proves Too Strong for Cougars to Overcome

Mount Vernon Proves Too Strong for Cougars to Overcome

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Monday afternoon, the University of Saint Francis Cougars (8-6; 0-2 Crossroads) played host to the Mount Vernon Nazarene University Cougars (14-2; 4-0 Crossroads) in a doubleheader at Westendorf Field to open Crossroads League play but lost both games by scores of 10-5 and 8-1.

Junior pitcher Mackenzie Rust took the mound to start the opener and pitched well in the early going as the game went scoreless through the first two innings.

But come the top of the third, the Cougars ran into trouble as Mount Vernon went to work with the bats. They took advantage of several fielding errors by the Cougars, and along with three groundball hits up the middle, plated five runs.

With the Cougars down, they kept their composure and went to work themselves with the bats. First baseman Taylor Horsley got the scoring started in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run to left center.

Then in the bottom of the fifth, they continued their comeback. A second run scored on a wild pitch, and then shortstop Abby Erwin singled home two more runs with a two-out hit to pull Saint Francis back to within 5-4, and it stayed that way until the top of the seventh.

But in the top of the seventh, Mount Vernon mounted a two-out rally to plate five more runs all with two outs off Rust, to extend their lead to 10-4, and the Cougars were never able to catch back up as they dropped the opener by five runs.

In the finale, freshman Mia Werner took the mound to start for the Cougars, and despite allowing consecutive doubles to open the game and give Mount Vernon a 1-0 lead, her teammates picked her up in the bottom of the second.

With the score tied at one in the top of the third, Mount Vernon started to get to Werner. A couple fielding errors by the Cougars didn't help, and four runs for Mount Vernon put Saint Francis back in a 5-1 hole.

Matters didn't get any better in the fourth, as three more Mount Vernon runs chased Werner from the game, and freshman Erika Turpin came in to relieve.

Turpin pitched brilliantly through the final four innings, as she allowed just two hits and no runs. But at the plate, the Cougars could not break through as they suffered the sweep.

The Cougars resume play on Tuesday when they travel to Spring Arbor, Michigan for a road doubleheader against the Spring Arbor University Cougars (7-8; 1-3 Crossroads) with the first pitch set for 3:00 pm.