Missed opportunities cost Eagles in 11-5 loss to No. 2 Lander
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman Eagles failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities in the early innings and the Eagle bullpen struggled in an 11-5 loss to No. 2 Lander University on Wednesday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex. The Eagles fall to 17-15 with the loss, while Lander improves to 22-6.
The Eagles fall to 17-15 with the loss, while Lander improves to 22-6.
Lander took advantage of five walks and four hit batsmen by C-N to control the game. Both teams had nine hits in the game, but Lander came up with big hits with runners on.
Carson-Newman threatened in the first. A leadoff single by Cody Fox and a walk to Kyle Koeneman gave the Eagles runners in scoring position with one out. Both runners moved up on stolen bases, but Lander starter Brandon Miller struck out Lucas Mohon and retired Zach Long to end the threat.
Lander took the lead in the second Juan Montana delivered a two-out, two-run single to give the Bearcats the lead. Eagle starter Evan Faithful retired the first five batters of the game before Lander strung together three straight hits in the second to grab the lead.
The Eagles drew three walks to load the bases in the third, but couldn't break through. Miller hit C-N's Zach Long with a pitch to score Fox with the Eagles' first run, but that was all they could manage stranding four runners in scoring position through three innings.
Lander broke the game open in the sixth as Jordan Owens came through against the Eagle bullpen. C-N issued a pair of walks and hit a batter before Owens laced a fly ball off the top of the fence to right center to score two. Weston Lawing added a sacrifice fly and Owens scored on a passed ball as the Bearcats scored four runs on one hit.
Fox doubled and scored on an RBI single in the seventh for C-N's third run.
The Eagles added two more in the eighth as Corey Mosier notched his first career hit, a double to left. Lance Reed followed with and RBI groundout and Bo Ausmus added an infield RBI single.
Lander starter Brandon Miller (WP, 5-0) held the Eagles to three hits through six innings to pick up the win.
Faithful the loss for the Eagles, but pitched effectively. Chris Armstrong gave C-N two shutout innings out of the bullpen before the game started to slip away.
Lawing and Colby Painter each had two hits for the Bearcats. Painter had a solo home run in the eighth to centerfield.
Carson-Newman returns to action on Friday against Wingate. The first game of the three-game South Atlantic Conference series begins at 3 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for noon.
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