JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman baseball was unable to take advantage of a bases loaded situation in the ninth inning, as Tusculum College held on for a 5-3 victory on Friday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference action at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
The Eagles loaded the bases with two outs, but Tusculum reliever Dylan Hochevar recorded the final out to preserve the win and earn his second save of the season.
With the loss, C-N falls to 6-12 on the season and 3-4 in the conference. Tusculum improves to 12-4 overall and 3-4 in SAC play.
C-N continued its struggles at the plate with five hits on the day, including a RBI single by sophomore designated hitter Lucas Mohon (Glasgow, Ky.).
The Pioneers tallied 11 hits, as Rolondo Bonner (Garner, N.C.), Sean Cotten (Mooresville, N.C.), Cody Coffman (Cape Coral, Fla.) and Aaron Guinn (Norris, Tenn.) produced two hits apiece.
Tusculum starting pitcher Craig Goodman (Clearwater, Fla.) turned in a stellar effort to pick up the win. Goodman (3-1) gave up four hits and two unearned runs in seven innings of work.
Eagle starter Austin Bridgewater (Morristown, Tenn.) (0-4) was tagged with the loss despite giving up just two runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings on the mound.
Tusculum broke a scoreless tie in the sixth with a pair of runs, as Guinn and Matt Henriksen (Hingham, Mass.) each delivered a RBI double to give the Pioneers a 2-0 lead.
The Pioneers pushed their lead to 3-0 in the seventh. After Branfy Arias (La Romana, D.R.) reached on a fielding error, Alexi Colon (Vineland, N.J.) singled up the middle to drive in Arias to give Tusculum a three-run lead.
The Eagles pulled to within 3-2 in the home half of the seventh with the help of a pair of Tusculum errors. Mohon reached base after being hit by a pitch, and Troy Zawadzki (Shrewsbury, Mass.) produced a single to get things started. Lance Reed (Elizabethton, Tenn.) then reached on a fielding error, and both Mohon and Zawadzki scored on another Pioneer error.
After the Pioneers added a run in the eighth, C-N pulled to within 4-3 on a RBI single by Mohon. However, Tusculum pushed across another run in the ninth on a run-scoring double by Cotten to put the game away.
The Eagles and Pioneers will close out the three-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
