JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Sophomore infielder Eric Lynch (Boonton, N.J.) roped a single to right field to score senior outfielder Cody Fox (Seymour, Tenn.) and give the Orange team a 1-0 series lead with a 5-4 victory in nine innings Thursday afternoon.
The blue team started the scoring in the top of the second inning when senior first basemen Evan Jurjevic (New Carlisle, Ind.) drove a two-strike pitch over the fence in left field to begin the stanza.
A bases loaded walk to Lynch in the bottom of the third inning with two outs allowed junior outfielder Joe Tipton (Dandridge, Tenn.) to score and knot the game at one.
The blue team took the lead in top of the fifth frame when they loaded the bases. Sophomore outfielder Ryan Addington (Cincinnati, Ohio) reached on an error to begin the inning. With two outs, Jurjevic lined a ball to right field that allowed Addington to cross the plate and allowed the blue team to take a 2-1 advantage.
In the bottom of the sixth frame, the orange team pieced together a two-out rally. Junior outfielder Eric Fight (Bloomington, Ill.) was hit by a pitch and junior third basemen Brandon Roberts (Davie, Fla.) laced a single to centerfield. Tipton lined a ball past diving right fielder Bo Ausmus (Jefferson City, Tenn.) to score Fight and Roberts. Tipton came into score on a single from Fox to make it a 4-2 contest.
The lead did not hold as senior shortstop Bryan Everhart (Greeneville, Tenn.) launched a two-run home run to bring in Addington and tie the score at four.
Orange starting pitcher Jamie Miller (Wardensville, W.V.) went 4.1 innings with seven strikeouts and four walks while yielding four hits and two runs, one earned.
Junior southpaw Vince Apicella (Dillsburg, Pa.) went four innings allowing six hits, one earned run on four walks and five punch outs.
Everhart reached base safely all five times for the Blue side going 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two walks while Tipton went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI to lead the Blue team.
Game two of the series is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Friday afternoon. You can catch the audio broadcast by visiting cneagles.com/live.
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