Jackson, Tenn. – Danny Covert smashed a pair of home runs and drove in six runs while Mitch Carriger also hit a pair of round trippers as the Maryville University baseball team pounded out 24 hits en route to a 23-5 victory over Union University Saturday afternoon to claim their first win of the 2017 season.
 
The Saints got off to a fast start in the top of the second inning as Carriger opened the inning with a triple and scored on a Dalton Schumer single to left to give Maryville a 1-0 lead. Schumer moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and then to third when Garrett Taylor was hit by a pitch. The Saints plated two more run on a Troy Payton# triple to right center to extend the lead to 3-0 before Covert hit his first homer of the game to give the Saints a 5-0 lead after two innings.
 
Carriger ripped his second hit of the day with a single up the middle to move Matt Scheibel over to second to lead of the third. The Saints plated their sixth run of the afternoon as Tyler Catlett singled to right to score Carriger and give Maryville a 6-0 lead.
 
The Saints padded the lead in the fourth with a five run uprising as Covert drove in another run and Carriger smashed a two-run shot while Catlett drove in a run on a double to give Maryville a 11-0 advantage.
 
Maryville scored four runs in both the fifth and ninth innings while score two runs in the seventh and eighth innings to secure their first win of the season.
 
Joey Lodes earned his first win in a Saints uniform by going 4.2 innings while giving up three runs on seven hits and struck out three Bulldogs. Covert came a single away from hitting for the cycle as he added a double and a triple to his two round trippers in five at bats to pace the Maryville offence. Carriger finished his day going 4-of-6 with four runs batted in whie Payton went 3-of-6 with two RBI's.
 
Maryville returns to the road next weekend as the Saints head to Boliver, Mo. to take on Southwest Baptist University in a four game series that begins Friday, Feb. 17, at 2 p.m.