JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman Eagles took advantage of six Belmont Abbey errors to score five unearned runs and sweep a doubleheader from the Crusaders on Tuesday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex. C-N won the opener, 4-2, and picked up a 2-1 win with a run in the bottom of the seventh to take Game 2.
The Eagles move to 17-14 on the season with the sweep, while Belmont Abbey falls to 21-11.
C-N manufactured scoring opportunities throughout both games, but ultimately Crusader fielding errors decided both games.
Eight Eagle pitchers combined to hold the Crusaders to three runs in the two seven inning wins.
Game 1 – Carson-Newman 4, Belmont Abbey 2
Belmont Abbey's Matt Parish's throwing error on a Bo Ausmus sacrifice bunt was part of a four-run sixth inning that helped the Eagles rally for a 4-2 win.
The Crusaders allowed four runs on a lone single as the Eagles took advantage of two errors to come back from a 2-0 deficit.
C-N's Zach Long provided the offense in the inning. He singled to left center and Kyle Koeneman walked as the Eagles put the tying runs on with no outs.
Mason Guymon's sacrifice bunt bounced off the glove of Crusader starter Cody Stull as the Eagles loaded the bases. Parish followed by hitting C-N's Evan Jurjevic with his second pitch to cut the lead to 2-1.
Junior Lucas Mohon added an RBI fielder's choice to tie the game before the Parish miscue trying to get the force out at the plate.
The Eagles' Robbie Thigpen (WP, 5-1) came on in relief of starter Lucas Watson to pick up his fifth win on the year. He worked a perfect seventh after the Eagles took the lead.
Watson struck out eight and allowed six hits
Stull (LP, 3-3) took the loss for Belmont Abbey despite allowing only four singles.
Joey Frabasile had two hits and an RBI for the Crusaders. Emilio Pagan also had an RBI single.
Game 2 – Carson-Newman 2, Belmont Abbey 1
Troy Zawadzki's infield single scored Cody Fox in the bottom of the seventh as the Eagles rallied for a Game 2 win, 2-1.
Zawadzki chopped an offering from Belmont Abbey reliever Emilio Pagan to third base with runners on the corners. Fox never stopped turning home from second base as Crusader third baseman Gabby Amor got turned around on trying to get Zawadzki at first. The ball slipped away from Amor turning to throw home as Fox scored without a play.
Both of the Eagles runs in the win were unearned.
C-N's Evan Kirkpatrick delivered a single in the fifth that moved Phillip Duncan into scoring position. Duncan would score on a wild pitch to tie the game 1-1.
Belmont Abbey's offense came off the bat of Stephen Mullis. Mullis drilled the first pitch of the fifth over the bullpen in right field to give the Crusaders a 1-0 lead.
Brandon Timmerman, who allowed the home run, pitched himself into a jam, loading the bases later in the fifth, but induced a force out and home plate and struck out Amor to end the threat.
Daniel Sharp pitched four shutout innings for the Eagles. The Eagles used four pitchers in four batters to get through the heart of the Crusader order in the sixth.
Ryan Fillers (WP, 4-4) pitched a perfect seventh, striking out one to get the win.
Belmont Abbey's Paul Stelling (LP, 1-1) held the Eagles to four hits and two unearned runs in taking a tough loss.
The Eagles return to action on Wednesday against Lander University. First pitch is at 3 p.m. at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
-C-N-