RADFORD, Virginia – It's been 732 days since the Maryland Eastern Shore baseball team has sniffed victory, dating back to March 3, 2020 when the Hawks (1-9) took down the University of Delaware before the shutdown of the program. That all changed on Saturday (March 5) afternoon, as the Shore rode the arm of junior Noah Covington to a 6-3 victory at Radford University.
 
The Seaford native gutted out over 100 pitches in the victory, giving the Hawks the first win of the 2022 season in a game where everything seemed to click against the Highlanders (3-7).
 
"It's been two years since we've got a win, so we just wanted to go out there and play our game, that's what I did," Covington (1-2) said. "I knew they were going to put the ball in play, I threw strikes, and I knew my defense was going to work behind me."
 
It was the top of the first when the Shore struck first, when Dillon Oxyer knocked a double to right center and used great baserunning knowledge to advance to third on a Radford wild pitch, then scoring seconds later on a passed ball by the catcher.
 
Radford took a short lead in the second when they were able to get two of their five hits against Covington, driving two runs in off a double.
 
Playing in tight games most of the season, the Hawks didn't falter even with the Highlander runs.
 
"I think the guys were pretty loose, they were comfortable," head coach Brian Hollamon said. "I think that's because we've been playing a lot of close games anyhow, so they're starting to become more and more comfortable with what we're doing."
 
Derrick Mayes II showed patience in the third inning though, as the left fielder took a walk in the top of the third and advanced to second on a passed ball. Oxyer, currently on a three-game hitting streak, hit a double to put Mayes on third. With a Bryan Widdowson swinging bunt, the Radford pitcher went to first instead of home as Mayes scored the Hawks second run of the game.
 
Covington would face the minimum in the third and fourth, relying on his defense behind him, as well as picking up two strikeouts.
 
"Noah was great today because he got strike one, that was a big thing," Hollamon said. "When you are ahead in the count as a pitcher lots of great things happen, he was able to do that. He wasn't fighting from a 2-0 count."
 
One more run was scored by Radford in the fifth following a hit-by-pitch and a double, but after that the Highlanders bats fell nearly silent the rest of the game, with the ball rarely leaving the infield thanks to the glove of freshman Luke Myers at second.
 
Getting his first collegiate start, Myers was key with five defensive assists, easily leading the team on the afternoon.
 
"I was just playing my game," Myers said. "At first nerves played in but once I got to the field I settled in and everything just became natural."
 
Down by one in the seventh, the Hawk offense came alive as third baseman Ryan Davis dropped a bunt down the third baseline and outran the throw for a hit. First baseman Marcus Brown knocked a hard single, advancing Davis to third before being pinch ran for by Alex McCoy – who quickly stole second base.
 
Working from the top of the order, Radford once again had to go through Mayes and Oxyer who delivered for the Hawks with a fielder's choice RBI and an Oxyer single to left to make it 4-3 in favor of the Hawks. The Shore loaded the bases but took two hard at-bats to strand the runners after the runs.
 
"We had a couple of chances to open the game up big," Hollamon said. "One ball was caught in the outfield, smoked, it probably would have been two or three runs if that had gone over the outfielders head."
 
The offense wasn't done for the Shore in the eighth, adding a few insurance runs for Covington. Catcher Kyle Cincinnati led off the inning with a double before reaching third on a fielder's choice hit by Myers, putting the freshman on the corners. Mayes drove in his second RBI of the day when he singled to right to drive in Cincinnati before stealing second.
 
Oxyer wasn't done his day though, giving a tough at-bat where the Radford pitcher threw wide on a swinging strikeout to reach base, but also gave Myers time to score the Hawks sixth run of the afternoon.
 
"These (young) guys are getting out on the field," Hollamon said. "Ten games in and finally being comfortable – they know the plays, they know how to execute the plays, they're comfortable when they're out there."
 
It wasn't a question of if Covington would go back out on the mound for the Hawks, the junior all but demanded it from the coaches, needing just six pitches in the eighth to sit down the Highlanders in order.
 
"We had the 4-3 lead and I wanted to go out there," Covington said. "We got those two insurance runs and I said 'give me the ball coach.'"
 
Hollamon and pitching coach Shawn Phillips had guys warmed up in the pen, but quickly sat them down.
 
"That's all him," Hollamon said. "He told coach Phillips that he wanted to stay in, then he came over to me, and we went with it. You gotta listen to your players."
 
Covington allowed a double in the ninth but it was no worry, as the induced soft contact from the last batter of the game to Davis, closing out the game for a complete game win.
 
For his effort on the day, Covington lowered his season ERA down to 3.50 and produced his second quality start of the season while picking up his first victory of his career.
 
The Hawks close out the three-game set with Radford on Sunday (March 6) starting at noon. A Shore victory would be the first series win since sweeping a doubleheader against Mount St. Mary's (MD) in late February 2020.
 
Follow the action on Twitter @eshawksbase.