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Fighting Scots, Cedarville split doubleheader

Ohio Valley University freshman shortstop Bryce Strawderman makes a diving attempt on a ball hit back up the middle during Saturday’s twinbill against Cedarville University at Bennett Stump Field. The Fighting Scots and the Yellow Jackets split the doubleheader. Photo by Jay W. Bennett.

PARKERSBURG — Ohio Valley University had it all — pitching, hitting, fielding — going its way all game long Saturday afternoon in the opener of a G-MAC baseball doubleheader at Bennett Stump Field.

That enabled the host Fighting Scots to post a 6-0 victory over Cedarville University behind freshman hurler Nicholas Shower’s three-hit shutout on only 80 pitches in the one-hour, 28-minute seven-inning affair.

But OVU also pounded out 12 hits, led by Charles Emery, 3 for 4 at the plate with two doubles; Christian Hall, 2 for 3 with a triple and RBI; and Travis Perkola, 2 for 3 with an RBI.

More importantly though, the Scots have apparently now secured a spot in this week’s G-MAC playoffs in Mason, Ohio.

OVU got the early drop on the visiting Yellow Jackets in the very first inning. After Jake Carr’s single with two outs, Justin Gil hammered an RBI double on one hop to the base of the left-center field fence for a 1-0 lead.

The Scots added two more tallies in the third frame. Emery led off with his second double on a fly ball down the right-field line and Perkola followed by lining a one-hopper into left field. Emery then scored from third when Perkola stole second with the catcher’s throw getting through into center field before Carr’s groundout to third plated another run.

In the fifth, three consecutive OVU singles off the bats of Bryce Strawderman, Emery and Perkola produced run No. 4 and in the sixth, Christian Hall drilled a ball down into the right-field corner for a triple to score Spencer Miller, who singled to start the frame, and then Hall came home when Austin Cottrell delivered a sacrifice fly to deep center field.

Meanwhile, Shower (3-3) just rolled right along through the Cedarville lineup, giving up a leadoff walk to begin the game and after that surrendering just three singles the rest of the way in an efficient performance on the mound, facing only four batters over the minimum.

“We had timely hitting and battled to get balls to drive in a really good offensive performance by our hitters,” said OVU head coach Chad Porter.

And on Shower’s pitching prowess Saturday, Porter noted Shower had “shown signs of what he was able to do today. He’s beaten some good teams this year. He had some really good stuff his last time throwing just a couple innings. We thought if he could do that today, we had a really good shot. And he was just in the zone the entire time today, pitching probably his best outing of the year.”

Porter, on his team’s success this year, said he thinks “this team has taken on the attitude they expect to win. We’re hot, we’re young, they’re grinders and they just get out there and get it done. And honestly, I think they have just kind of that next game, next pitch, next inning mentality of taking care of business one game at a time.”

Before game 1 Saturday, four OVU seniors — Carr, Cottrell, Gil and Hall — were honored on the field in Senior Day 2017 ceremonies.

Saturday’s second game, though, saw Cedarville clip the Fighting Scots 6-5 as OVU and the Yellow Jackets split their weekend series, 2-2.

OVU is now 26-20, including 10-10 in the G-MAC, while Cedarville is 17-26 overall and 8-12 in G-MAC action, with both probably bound for the conference playoffs, according to Porter.

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