Blackburn Powers Past Greenville

CARLINVILLE, IL -- The Blackburn College Baseball team powered past Greenville College to pick up their first St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory, winning 12-8. 

Six players finished the game with two hits each while five had a double. Senior Harley Carney, sophomore Jordan Kelly, and freshman Joey Congi all hit home runs. Freshman Jeremy Mazariegos led the team with three runs batted in. 

On the mound, senior Royce Congi threw seven strikeouts. 

Blackburn entered the bottom of the first inning down 2-0 but bounced back with three runs to take a lead. Carney scored the team's first run by scoring on a ground ball by sophomore Andrew Medina. J. Congi scored next on a single from junior Diego Perez. After a wild pitch allowed freshman Landon Harbach and Perez to advance, Harbach scored on a freshman Santos Mercado single pushing Blackburn ahead 3-0. 

In the third, Medina doubled to open the bottom of the inning before Harbach doubled to score Medina. Kelly followed with his first home run of the season to push BC ahead 6-2.

J. Congi knocked his third homer this year in the fourth to make it 7-2. The Panthers stopped the Beaver rally with a run in the sixth, but Blackburn responded with two runs in their sixth. Mercado doubled and stole third before Mazariegos singled to score Mercado. Carney then singled to score Mazariegos and push BC ahead 9-3. 

Greenville made it 9-7 with four in the seventh. Blackburn answered with two more in the bottom of the inning. Perez singled and Mercado singled to put two on. Mazariegos then came up with a double to score the runners and put the Beavers up 11-1. 

Both teams scored in the eighth inning with Carney hitting his first home run of the season putting the Beavers up 12-8 for the final score. 

Blackburn will return to action Saturday with a doubleheader against Greenville.