MONTEVALLO, Ala. – University of Montevallo junior Steven Knudson homered for the 13th time this season in game one of a doubleheader against visiting Miles College, leading the Falcons to the first of two wins against the Golden Bears in a 8-2 and 17-0 sweep March 24 at Kermit A. Johnson Field.
Knudson, who is second nationally among NCAA Division II hitters with 13 homers this season, finished 1-for-3 at the plate while driving in two runs and scoring one run in the victory.
Sophomore Alex Jones led the Falcons (14-12) offensively as he finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and drove in two runs.
Senior Vinny Rodriguez, who drove in two runs and scored one run, went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double. Fellow senior Cody White, who drove in one run and scored one run, finished 1-for-3 at the plate.
Senior Matthew Haskins went 1-for-3 at the plate and scored two runs. Sophomore Dane Hutcheon finished 1-for-3 at the plate. Junior Jeremy Hyde went 1-for-4 at the plate with a double and scored one run, while senior Alec Stiver also finished 1-for-4 at the plate.
Junior Thomas Bradey scored one run and drew a pair of walks in the win.
Sophomore Mason MacDougall (1-0) picked up his first win on the mound this season with the seven-inning, complete-game victory. MacDougall allowed just two earned runs on five hits and finished with four strikeouts without issuing a walk.
Highlights in the first game of the doubleheader featured Knudson's two-run blast in the bottom of the third inning and a RBI double by Rodriguez in the bottom half of the sixth inning.
Montevallo plated 12 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning in the Falcons' 17-0 shutout in the nightcap, marking their biggest victory margin since defeating Arkansas-Monticello 18-1 in a doubleheader March 1, 2008.
Freshman Collin Dupree led the Falcons offensively as he finished 3-for-3 at the plate. Dupree drove in three runs and scored one run in the victory.
Knudson, who drove in two runs and scored three runs, went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double. Hyde, who drove in one run and scored three runs, finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a triple. Hutcheon, who drove in one run and scored one run, went 2-for-4 at the plate.
Bradey, who drove in two runs and scored one run, finished 2-for-4 at the plate. Sophomore Alex Jones, who drove in two runs and scored two runs, went 1-for-3 at the plate with a double. Rodriguez, who drove in one run and scored three runs, finished 1-for-3 at the plate.
Sophomore Michael Simmons went 1-for-1 at the plate as a pinch hitter, driving in one run and scoring one run. Haskins drove in one run and scored one run, while freshman Kale Latorre also scored one run in the win.
Freshman Colton Nussel (1-0) picked up his first win of the season in relief after pitching 3 2/3 hitless innings with three strikeouts and one walk. Nussel replaced sophomore starter Dustin Cowart, who allowed just one hit and registered a pair of strikeouts and one walk in 3 1/3 innings on the mound.
Jones provided the first two runs in the game with his two-run double in the bottom of the first inning.
Hyde got the scoring started in the bottom of the fifth inning with his RBI triple. The 12-run inning also featured a two-run double by Knudson and a RBI double by Hutcheon.
The Falcons return to action Wednesday, March 25 with a trip to Rome, Georgia to take on Shorter College.
First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
