Andy Hawley

WINONA LAKE, Ind. – After claiming the opening game 2-0, the Spring Arbor University softball team came within four outs of sweeping Grace College, but the Lancers rallied late to defeat the Cougars 3-2 and salvage a split during Tuesday’s doubleheader.   Spring Arbor moves to 27-19 overall – the most wins in a season since the 2010 campaign – and sits in fourth place in the Crossroads League standings with a mark of 10-6 in league play.   Game one was a pitcher’s duel as Kaitlyn Sinclair (pictured) and GC’s Elaina McClellan and Chandler Elliott did not surrender a single run through the first five innings. The Cougars threatened in the top of the fourth inning, loading the bases with no one out, but the Lancers (22-18, 13-9 CL) got a pop out before inducing an inning-ending double play to escape the jam.   Spring Arbor was finally able to breakthrough in the six, however, when Liz Campeau delivered a clutch, two-out single to bring home Megan Labut. The Cougars added an insurance run in the seventh when Sydney Taylor drove in Amanda Youngheim with a base hit to center field.   That was plenty of support for Sinclair…

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University baseball team scored two runs in the bottom half of the ninth inning, but was unable to complete the comeback as it fell to No. 19 Davenport University 10-8 on Tuesday.   Davenport (29-9) entered the game red hot having won 17 of its last 19 games, but it was Spring Arbor that struck first. The Cougars pounded out seven hits in the first two frames to race out to a 5-0 lead. Reigning Crossroads League Player of the Week Tyler Reed wasted no time extending his hitting streak to eight games with an RBI double in the first inning while Conner Lengerich highlighted a three-run second with a two-RBI single.   The Panthers began to battle back though using its high-powered offense to score three times in the third inning before exploding for six in the fifth to grab a 9-5 advantage.   Jeremiah Johnson homered in the bottom half of the fifth to cut into the deficit, but DU would an insurance run in the eighth to boost the margin back to four, 10-6.   In the bottom of the ninth, the Cougars put runners on the corners with two…

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University men’s basketball program has added Brent Davis Jr. to its 2016 recruiting class. Davis, a 6-foot-2 guard from Plymouth High School joins Jeff Beckman from Shelby High School as the newest Cougars.   As a senior, Davis averaged 17.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game for the Wildcats. He was named Kensington Lakes Activities Association First Team All-Conference, Observer All-Area First Team, Detroit News All-State Class A Honorable Mention, Detroit News All-West Second Team and Detroit Free Press All-West Honorable Mention.   Plymouth Head Coach Mike Soukup had the following comments about his prep standout. “Brent is one of the best competitors I have coached. His drive to be successful is very high. I know these traits will serve him well as he moves on to play at the collegiate level.”   Brent plans to pursue a degree in business from Spring Arbor. He is the son of Brent Sr. and DeRay.   “Brent is an explosive athlete that can impact the game on both ends of the floor,” noted SAU head coach Ryan Cottingham. “He has a high ceiling and we are excited to see his development…

ADRIAN, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University men’s and women’s track and field teams competed at the Don Kleinow Invitational Saturday at Siena Heights University.   The women’s team saw its second athlete book a trip to the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships as freshman Katrina Tovar hit the NAIA B standard in the pole vault. Tovar cleared a height of 11’ 5.75” (3.50m) to earn ninth place in the event. Sophomore Bethany Kuenzer, who has also qualified for the championship meet in the event, earned fifth place with a mark of 11’ 9.75” (3.60m), which matched her career-best.   Tovar also had a standout performance in the long jump as she claimed fifth place. She jumped 17’ 7” (5.36m), a distance that was just three inches shy of the program record.   Junior Grace Sallee posted a new school record in the hammer throw. Her toss of 124’ 7” (37.98m) smashed her previous PR and bested the program’s all-time mark by almost four feet.   Freshman Ryann Laier recorded the fifth-best mark in program history in the discus with a throw of 122’ 6” (37.34m) to earn ninth place out of 36 competitors in the event.  …