MONTREAT, N.C. — The Montreat College baseball team capped off a series sweep of the Penn State Scranton Nittany Lions on Wednesday afternoon at Newell Field. After taking the initial two contests on Tuesday, the Cavaliers closed out the three-game set with a 12-10 triumph. Thanks to the victory, the Cavs improved to 20-6 on the year, while PSUS fell to 0-9.
 
Setting the tone early, Montreat opened the first inning with a strong performance. Cameron Nagel reached base via an error, and Justin Austin blasted a two-run shot to right the very next at-bat. Daniel Restrepo later doubled and stole third, and he touched home plate on Hudson Link's first career hit and RBI. After one frame of play, the hosts maintained a 3-0 advantage.
 
Another three-run inning doubled the Cavaliers' lead in the third. Restrepo walked and stole second prior to Zachary Long's RBI double. Matthew Brunner also doubled, bringing home Wilmer Bolivar, who entered as a courtesy runner for Long. Link added another RBI single with a bullet to second base, pushing the Cavs ahead 6-0 through three.
 
Penn State Scranton charged back in the top of the fourth, flipping the game on its head with a nine-run rally. Eight hits, one error, one walk and one hit batter powered the offensive outburst. The Cavaliers responded during the ensuing half inning, though, scoring four times to reclaim the lead at 10-9. Montreat notched just one hit in the frame, yet three walks, a hit-by-pitch and an error supplied ample chances for the home side. Austin sprinted home via a wild pitch, Gabriel Ferrell drove in one, a throwing error scored another and Adrian Vivo bunted in Ferrell. Following a fourth inning that featured 13 combined runs, the hosts held tightly to a one-run edge.
 
The Nittany Lions managed to tie the contest at 10-10 with an RBI single in the sixth. However, PSU Scranton's bats were held quiet the remainder of the way, while Montreat's bats still showed plenty of life. Long roped another RBI double into the right field corner during the bottom of the seventh, and Ferrell plated Bolivar, his pinch runner, just one batter later. The Cavs' newfound lead proved to be enough as Trevor Laughlin and Hunter Rast slammed the door shut across the final two frames. With the 27^th out recorded, the Cavaliers finished up their 12-10 win.
 
Dawson Rodak started the game for Montreat, pitching 3 1/3 innings and allowing six runs, four earned, on seven hits. The Lehi, Utah native also picked up his first five strikeouts of the campaign. Isaiah Pappas followed in relief, contributing 2/3 of an inning with three runs, only one of which was earned, on four hits and a strikeout. Nick Kantzavelos provided stability with three frames of relief, surrendering one run on five hits. The upperclassman registered a strikeout while claiming his second win of the season. Laughlin and Rast closed out the game, each pitching one scoreless inning while facing the minimum. The former tallied a strikeout while the latter bagged his eighth save via three flyouts.
 
Nagel, Austin, Long, Ferrell and Link each totaled two hits on the afternoon. Austin contributed significantly with three runs and two RBIs, thanks in large part to his first-inning homer. Restrepo also made an impact, scoring three runs and adding two stolen bases. Long drove in two and collected two doubles, bolstering the team's offensive efforts. Ferrell secured two RBIs, in addition to four stolen bases, off the bench.
 
"This week, we got back on track, which is what we wanted to do," said Head Coach Jason Beck. "We still need to clean some things up, but we returned to the win column, which was important for us. This weekend is another big test, and we're looking forward to seeing where we stand right now as we're halfway through the season."
 
Looking ahead, the Montreat College baseball team travels to Lawrenceville, Ga. for a three-game nonconference series versus the No. 2-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College Grizzlies. First pitch is slated for Friday, March 13 at 5 p.m.