Nate Newman set a new Misericordia record with his league-leading 10th home run of the season as the Cougars defeated Baptist Bible 22-1, Wednesday at Anderson Field.

Newman was 1-for-3 from the plate with two runs scored and three RBIs. Senior Scott Huddle went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs.

Other Cougars who excelled at the plate included Jeff Slanovec (2-for-2, 2 RBIs), Will Minderjahn (2-for-2, 1 run scored), Jamie Philippi (1-for-1, 4 RBIs) and Andrew Tressa (1-for-1, 2 RBIs)

Outfielder Anthony Goncalves was 1-for-1 and scored twice. Catcher Andres Gonzalez drew three walks and scored three times, while freshman Brian Verdelli had two runs scored.

Two underclassmen turned in impressive performances on the mound for Misericordia. Freshman Justin Shuleski earned his first career victory, striking out nine batters in six innings while allowing just two hits and one run. Sophomore Ed Sheehan shut the Defenders down with three one-hit innings, striking out five.

Sophomore Nate Hamlin got things started in the bottom of the first by scoring from second base on a wild pitch. The Cougars would grab an 8-0 lead before the opening inning was over.

Newman's milestone homer stretched the lead to 11-0 in the third inning. MU would take a 13-0 advantage in the same inning as Huddle tripled in Verdelli and then scored himself on Philippi's sacrifice fly.

The Cougars improve to 16-14 with the victory and will travel to Albright tomorrow.