Missed chances doom C-N in doubleheader loss to #10/6 Lenoir-Rhyne
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Two closely contested contests went No. 10/6 Lenoir-Rhyne’s (9-1, 5-1 SAC) way on Saturday afternoon to sweep a series with Carson-Newman (8-5, 1-5 SAC) on Saturday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 1 |
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0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 2 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 0 |
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0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Two closely contested contests went No. 10/6 Lenoir-Rhyne's (9-1, 5-1 SAC) way on Saturday afternoon to sweep a series with Carson-Newman (8-5, 1-5 SAC) on Saturday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
Game One: #10/6 Lenoir-Rhyne 6, Carson-Newman 4
The narrative from game one was C-N's inability to score all the runners in got on base. The Eagles stranded 18 runners on base, the most in a game in at least the past 16 seasons.
Carson-Newman went two for 21 with runners in scoring position and one for 10 with the bases loaded.
"Hitting is hard and you want those opportunities like we had," Carson-Newman head coach Tom Griffin said. "Every inning we had something going on. Anytime there is runners on, or there is hard contact and a quality at bat, when you get three of those in an inning that's a pressure inning. We did that in every inning in game one, what more could you ask for. We just needed that one hit and we didn't get it, that's part pitching and just part of the game of baseball. You want to have chances to win games and be in them and we were."
The day started well for Christian Henderson (Clarksville, Tenn.). He struck out the side in the opening inning, part of an eight-strikeout day, resetting his career-high.
C-N's offense went right to work. Maddox Greene (Deep Gap, N.C.) and Braxton Smith (Cleveland, Tenn.) singles and a Logan Floyd (Adairsville, Ga.) loaded the bases with nobody out. A pair of strikeouts and a groundout ended the first inning threat.
The situation was nearly identical in the bottom of the second. Aiden Gibson (Cleveland, Tenn.) and Ryan Bolton (Knoxville, Tenn.) singles started the inning and Kevin Hammond reached by error to load the bases with no one out. The Eagles took advantage this situation. Greene drove in Gibson with a RBI single to start the scoring. After a pop out, Floyd was hit by a 3-2 breaking ball to increase the lead to 2-0. A Cole Nathan (Knoxville, Tenn.) sac fly was the final run of the frame, giving C-N a 3-0 lead after two frames.
LR's offense had immediate answers. A throwing error was followed by a pair of singles to load the bases with nobody out. After a strikeout, Lleyton Lackey scored a run on an infield single. The four other third inning runs scored with two outs. Matt Procopio cleared the bases with a three-run double and Seth Christmas followed with a RBI single to make it 5-3 after three innings.
Floyd's bat got C-N a run back in the fourth. After his leadoff triple, Bradley Soto Diaz (Davenport, Fla.) grounded out to score him from third to make it a one-run game after four innings.
For the third time in five innings, C-N would load the bases with nobody out. Gibson doubled and Bolton and Hammond walked. C-N's next three batters were retired, two by strikeout to keep things in LR's favor by a run.
Henderson's final inning was a scoreless sixth inning. All six hits and five runs the sophomore allowed were in the third inning.
The Eagles had two chances with runners in scoring position in the sixth, but left Soto Diaz at second after his leadoff double.
LR got a run of insurance in the seventh on a Mackenzie Wainwright RBI single to make it 6-4.
C-N stranded two more runners in scoring position with one out. A pop out and fly out ended the seventh inning threat.
The fourth time the Eagles loaded the bases was in the bottom of the eighth inning. Two singles and a Bolton walk loaded things up for C-N with two outs. Closer Jack Renaud entered the game and got a groundout to end the inning.
Carson-Newman did not go down without a ninth inning fight. Smith led off with a double to bring the tying run to the plate twice late. Down to its final out, Nathan hit a 97 mph fly ball that was caught up against the wall, just narrowly missing a game-tying home run by a few feet.
LR reliever Preston Drebes earned his second win of the year, tossing 3 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball with five strikeouts. Renaud got his third save.
Game Two: Lenoir-Rhyne 8, Carson-Newman 4
After a scoreless first inning, LR would strike first in the second with two outs. Andrew Stillinger's two-run single to left made it 2-0.
The Bears' lead extended to 3-0 after a Trent Murchison home run to start the third inning.
C-N's first run was Hammond's first career RBI. He grounded out to score Smith and it was a 3-1 game after three frames.
LR's lead went back to three after a two-out double from Drew Beard, but Carson-Newman continued to cut into the deficit in the bottom half of inning four. Soto Diaz singled to left to make it and a RBI groundout made it a one-run game after four frames.
The Bears scored a run in the fifth without recording a hit. Four freebies helped LR extend its lead to 5-3, but reliever Eli Norris (Rinngold, Ga.) kept it a two-run game by getting a strikeout and pop out to end the inning.
LR's insurance runs came in the seventh inning. Two errors aided a three-run seventh that included just one hit to give LR a five-run advantage.
C-N posed a threat to close. Soto Diaz doubled to lead off and Gibson scored him on a sac fly but that's all the Eagles could muster up in final frame.
"The only disappointing thing from game two is that it always left like we were down 10-0 in the dugout," Griffin said. "The atmosphere in the dugout was as if we were down too many runs and can't come back. Some guys get in a lull and are waiting for something to get excited about and other guys are involved, energized and trying to bring energy to guys. We always talk about having energy, communicating well verbally and non-verbally. If you are having a bad day, there is other things you can do."
In his 10th career home start, Kolton Casson (Benton, Tenn.) suffered his first career home loss. He allowed a career-high five runs and struck out six in four innings of work.
Kellen Gradisar tossed his second complete game to improve to 3-0. He threw 112 pitches, allowing four runs on seven hits to pair with a six-strikeout day.
Counting both games, C-N hit three for 28 with runners in scoring position.
Gibson, Greene, Soto Diaz and Smith all had multi-hit days for the Eagles. Soto Diaz and Smith had multiple hits in both games.
Carson-Newman stays at home for a midweek game on Tuesday versus Lee. First pitch for against the Flames is set for 2:00 p.m. A live stream of the game is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/flobase. The game can be heard on cneagles.com/live. Fans can also watch the radio crew at work with a feed of press row on YouTube.
