(JACKSON, Miss., Feb. 19)—The McKendree University baseball team was defeated twice on Saturday, falling in games to Cumberland University and Belhaven University at Belhaven's Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson, Miss. The Bearcats lost a 12-3 decision to Cumberland before taking a 7-2 defeat at the hands of Belhaven.
McKendree, which dropped one of four games on the weekend trip to Mississippi, slips to 2-6 overall on the young season. The Bearcats will be in Mayfield, Ky., on Tuesday for a non-conference doubleheader against Mid-Continent University. First pitch is set for noon.
In the opener against Cumberland, the Bearcats grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as senior outfielder Dan Corwin (St. Louis, MO/DeSmet) (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet) reached on a two-out single and came around to score on a Bulldogs' error. But Cumberland answered with three runs in the bottom of the first and another in the second for a 4-1 lead. The Bulldogs then exploded for two runs in the fourth inning and four more in the fifth to grab a 10-1 advantage.
McKendree scored twice in the top of the sixth to pull within 10-3 thanks to consecutive RBI hits from junior infielder Brandon Gargus (Manchester, MO/Parkway South) (Farmington, Mo./Park Hills Central) and sophomore first baseman Rob Beatty (Millstadt, IL/Belleville West) (Millstadt, Ill./Belleville West) before Cumberland answered right back with two runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth.
Gargus, senior catcher Brad Dunnigan (Smithton, IL/Freeburg) (Smithton, Ill./Freeburg) and senior infielder Daniel Solis (Chicago, IL/De La Salle) (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle) each rapped out two hits for McKendree.
Senior left-hander Alex Young (Odin, IL/Odin) (Odin, Ill./Odin) allowed four earned runs on six hits over the first two innings in taking the loss for the Bearcats. Young walked two and fanned two batters.
The second game against Belhaven was scoreless until the bottom of the third, when the host Blazers erupted for six runs in the frame. McKendree added single runs in the fourth on an RBI double by Dunnigan and in the sixth thanks to a run-scoring single from sophomore infielder Patrick Thole (Carlyle, Ill./Breese Central).
Junior outfielder Brandyn Snider (Fielden, IL/Jersey Community) (Fieldon, Ill./Jersey Community) produced three of the Bearcats' nine hits in the nightcap. Junior right-hander Josh Rathmann (Germantown, IL/Breese Central) (Germantown, Ill./Breese Central) was nicked for six earned runs on eight hits over three innings in being charged with the loss on the mound for McKendree.
