MARION, N.C.— The Montreat baseball team continued its hot start to the 2022 season, sweeping a doubleheader against the Mid-Atlantic Christian University Mustangs at Big League Camp Saturday afternoon to improve to 7-0 on the young season.
 
The Mustangs got on the board first in game number one, crossing on a passed ball to go up 1-0 in the top of the first. In the third, the Cavaliers responded as Rafael Padilla tied the game with an RBI triple to center that drove in Chase Bruno.
 
Montreat then added a trio of runs in the fourth via an OJ Borroto RBI single to left center, a double down the left field line by Noah Medina that scored Ryan Pereda and a sac fly by Bruno that plated Bell. The Cavs tacked on another run in the fifth to build their advantage to 5-1 through five frames thanks to a MACU error.
 
Norman Kelly (2-2), Borroto (2-2) and Padilla (2-3) all registered multi-hit contests in the first matchup as 10 different Cavaliers recorded at least one hit.
 
The offensive support was more than enough for starting pitcher Jared Drayton, who threw a complete-game and continually limited the visitors' scoring chances. Drayton allowed only four hits and one walk, while striking out 11 Mustangs in his masterful performance on the mound, handing the Cavs a 5-1 victory.
 
Game two featured another stellar showing on the mound by the Montreat starter as Brandon Russell made his debut with the team. Russell pitched all seven frames for the Cavaliers, surrendering only three hits and walking two Mustangs. The Grand Bahama, Bahamas native fanned seven MACU batters and utilized just 79 pitches to shut down the visitors.
 
Offensively, hits by Pereda and Bruno set the table for a Padilla sac fly that opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Looking for insurance runs, the Cavs capitalized on miscues in the sixth to create a four-run edge. Kelly scored on an error before Will Cheek did the same to make it 3-0. Bruno hit a ground-rule double to drive in Caden Wright and close out the scoring.
 
Bruno (2-3) and Kelly (2-3) combined for four of the Cavaliers' five hits in the second competition as Montreat captured a 4-0 triumph to remain perfect on the season at 7-0.
 
Baseball will now travel to Florida for four contests against Warner University in Lake Wales, beginning with a doubleheader at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 11.