Willoughby Leads Cougars to Game One Win at (RV) Huntington

HUNTINGTON, Ind. — The Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team (25-23, 14-20 CL) played a conference doubleheader at Huntington University (35-10, 25-9 CL) on Thursday, April 23.

MVNU started strong, taking a 4-0 lead in the top of the second. An error from the Foresters at third base cleared the bases, putting MVNU up 3-0. Tyler Ooten, who advanced to third after the error, scored thanks to an RBI single to right field from Carter Lapata, giving MVNU the 4-0 advantage. Rider Minnick drove in two runs in the top of the fourth inning with his double to left center field. Holding a 6-0 lead, MVNU added a run in the seventh and a run in ninth to claim an 8-0 advantage. Huntington scored its first run in the bottom of the ninth. The Cougars would take game one of the series 8-1. Reese Willoughby pitched a gem for the Cougars in his start. The senior allowed just three hits in eight scoreless innings pitched. Willoughby had six strikeouts in his seventh pitching win of the season.

In game two, the Foresters struck back and would even up series with a 21-7 victory. Errors proved costly for MVNU as five of them led to eight unearned runs. Despite the loss, MVNU outhit the Foresters 14-11 in the game, but the Foresters used the longball to their advantage as they hit five home runs. Brady Lester and Ryan Willoughby hit a home run each in the loss.

What's Next

MVNU will wrap up the regular season with two more games at Huntington on Saturday, April 25. The doubleheader is set to begin at 1:00 p.m.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,200 students from 36 states, 1 U.S. commonwealth and 41 foreign countries.