Carson-Newman Baseball Game Notes
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In the span of a week, the Carson-Newman Eagles (14-14) jumped from last to seventh in the South Atlantic in batting average as the Eagles travel to King (Tenn.) Tuesday for a 3 p.m. first pitch.
Spanning from a victory at Mars Hill on Sunday, March 15 to the series finale against Coker on March 22, Carson-Newman has cranked out 10 or more in six straight affairs compared to seven double-digit hit outings in the previous 22 games. Over the last week, the Eagles are hitting .374 (80-214) at the plate that includes a .375 (36-96) clip with runners in scoring position, a number that was .258 prior to the beginning of the Mars Hill series.
One of the big reasons for the Eagles surge at the plate has been the middle-of-the order punch of senior Bo Ausmus (Jefferson City, Tenn.) and senior Evan Jurjevic (New Carlisle, Ind.). The duo has collected 13 multi-hit games each on the year. Ausmus is 12-for-25 with 13 RBI and 10 runs scored in the six-game span raising his average to .364. Jurjevic has collected three-hit outings in four of his last five games. The first basemen has reached base in 25 consecutive games and has hits in 13 of his last 23 at-bats with 10 RBI and seven runs scored.
Carson-Newman looks to keep rolling against a King ball club that has won eight of its last 10 contests and ranks second in Conference Carolinas in team earned run average at 5.28. The Tornado have also yielded the second-fewest hits, 244, and walks, 85, in their league this season.
At the plate, the Tornado have the fewest extra-base hits this season in the conference at 57 while hitting into just nine double plays. Josa Sola leads the lineup with a .357 batting average, three home runs and 17 RBI.
Tuesday marks the 19th overall meeting between the two schools with the Eagles on top in the series 12-6. In 2014, each team won on the road. Carson-Newman used nine pitchers in a 7-1 victory on March 26 as Evan Kirkpatrick hit an inside-the-park grand slam to propel coach Tom Griffin's group.
At Smokies Park on April 2, the Eagles tied a school record with six errors in a 15-5 loss to the Tornado. King scored at least one run in eight of the nine innings and clubbed three total home runs on the night to coast to the victory.
The Eagle Sports Network will provide a free audio stream of Tuesday's game by visiting cneagles.com/live to listen to the matinee.
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