NEWBERRY, S.C. – The Newberry Wolves (28-16, 18-8 South Atlantic Conference) used a five-run sixth inning to take the series finale against the Carson-Newman Eagles (23-18, 11-16 SAC) Sunday afternoon at the Smith Road Complex for the first sweep by the Wolves over the Eagles since 2011.
"They outplayed us, outcoached us in every aspect," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "That's not just frustration. It's the fact that you had two teams coming in in the same direction. One of them playing for a top seed, win the conference and one trying to get into the tournament. They played very well in all aspects. We did not play well in all aspects."
Senior catcher J.D. Cowart (Athens, Tenn.) tallied his fourth hit of the series to start the top of the third inning on a double to the gap in right-centerfield. A sacrifice bunt from senior centerfielder Joe Tipton (Dandridge, Tenn.) moved Cowart to third and the catcher score the game's first run of the game on a sacrifice fly to centerfield by sophomore rightfielder Ryan Addington (Cincinnati, Ohio).
With one out in the top of the fourth frame, senior leftfielder Bo Ausmus (Jefferson City, Tenn.) bounced a single into centerfield and promptly stole second, his fifth steal of the season. On a 1-1 pitch, freshman designated hitter Austin Kearney (Powell, Tenn.) hit a crisp grounder back up the middle. Shortstop D.J. Martinez fielded it but had his legs taken out from underneath by second basemen Robert Kosch leaving the two players laying on the field long enough for Ausmus to score and extend the lead to 2-0. Martinez and Kosch stayed in the game after a short delay.
Newberry exploded for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning as 11 men came to the plate in the frame. Back-to-back doubles by Albert Baur and Brandon Sheridan pulled the Wolves within a run to start the inning. The next batter, JoJo Bradley cranked his fourth home run of the year over the right-centerfield wall to give the Wolves a 3-2 lead. With two outs and the bases loaded, pinch hitter Bradley Nichols tallied his third hit of the season with a two-run single to rigthfield to make it a 5-2 contest.
Newberry tacked on in the bottom of the eighth inning with a two-out RBI base hit to centerfield by Baur to extend things to a four-run game.
Ausmus tallied his 19th multi-hit game of the year by going 3-for-4 with a run scored in the game as the Eagles were outhit 13-10 on the day.
Carson-Newman starting pitcher Vince Apicella (Dillsburg, Pa.) went 5.1 innings allowing four earned runs on eight hits, three walks and six strikeouts to fall to 6-5 on the year.
Newberry starter Cole Cromer improved to 7-3 on the season by going eight innings while yielding two earned runs on eight hits and five strikeouts.
Carson-Newman plays its final scheduled home game of the year on Tuesday when the Shorter Hawks come to the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex for a 3 p.m. first pitch. High definition video and audio for the contest can be found by visiting cneagles.com/live.
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