VIDEO: Jordan Griffin Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Matt Bradley earned his first career save and three rookie hitters had two hits each as Carson-Newman toppled second-ranked Belmont Abbey 4-2 in comeback fashion Tuesday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
"I am very proud of them," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said of his freshmen. "We tell guys that you are playing against the game and not the team. It's hard enough to play the game let alone play the success that Belmont Abbey has had. It's a mental challenge for a lot of players. They did a great job based on their performance."
Carson-Newman (20-15) had been 0-3 all-time since 1990 against teams ranked second in the country. Belmont Abbey (28-6) sees its 10-game winning streak end. The Eagles win is the second-highest ranked team the school has ever beaten as C-N toppled No. 1 Florida Southern in the NCAA South Regional on May 14, 1999.
The last time Griffin's team had beaten a top-five team came on Feb. 8, 2013 when the Eagles blanked fifth-ranked USC Aiken on the road in the first game of a three-game series.
Matt McGarry started the game with a double down the left-field line. After a punch out, a walk and a single loaded the bases for Thomas Yoder. The designated hitter flew out to right field to score McGarry and open the scoring.
With one out in the top of the second stanza, Jake Rolly powered a 0-2 offering over the left field wall for his eighth home run of the season to push the lead to 2-0.
An infield single by Jordan Griffin (Ellersie, Ga.) to shortstop allowed the lead-off hitter in the frame to reach. Charlie Brown (Sevierville, Tenn.) executed the hit-and-run perfectly by lining a single to right field to put men at the corners. After a sacrifice bunt put Brown at second base, Brett Langhorne (Mechiancsville, Va.) grounded out to second to score Griffin and make it a 2-1 deficit.
"It takes one person to set the example," Griffin said. "I saw how everyone else was hitting so I went up there and had a different approach. I guess my approach helped everyone else to see what they needed to do not have the same at-bat the first time."
Griffin opened the bottom of the fifth with his third homer of the season as he drove a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left to tie the score. Brown slapped a single to left field and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Langhorne flared a base hit down the left-field line to put men at the corners. Tyler Thompson (Gallatin, Tenn.) ambushed the next pitch lining it into center field to give the Eagles a 3-2 lead.
Two errors helped the Eagles plate an insurance run in the sixth as Belmont Abbey ranked second in the country in fielding percentage entering play. Ethan Goforth (Blacksburg, Va.) hit a grounder to short that hopped up in the chest of Collin Rosenbaum allowing the Eagle catcher to reach. A sacrifice bunt and a ground out moved him to third base with two outs. Griffin stung a grounder to third base that Josh Genthe threw low to first base to bring home Goforth and make it 4-2.
Matt Bradley (Talbott, Tenn.) entered in the top of the eighth and retired the first two before issuing a walk and hitting two straight batters to load the bases. Rolly stepped to the dish and squibbed ball out in front of the plate that Bradley scooped up and stepped on home to end the threat.
The right-hander tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his first collegiate save as the last of seven hurlers on the day for the Eagles. Tyler Hicks (Clinton, Tenn.) tossed a scoreless fifth frame to earn his first win in a C-N uniform.
"Most importantly our bullpen was outstanding," Griffin assessed. "We limited damage in the first two innings by Ryan Victory. The rest of the guys that came in against probably one of the best lineups in Division II baseball was very gratifying. Midweeks had been tough."
Three Eagles had multi-hit efforts as Griffin went 2-for-3 with the home run and two runs scored. Thompson had two pokes and an RBI and Brown went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
The Crusaders ranked in the top 10 in the nation in seven separate offensive categories as the team produced its third-fewest hits of the season with just six. McGarry and Cureton each had two hits to lead the way.
Cameron Busby took the loss to fall to 7-3 after hurling seven innings of baseball. The righty allowed four runs, three earned on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts.
Griffin's group continues its homestand with a three-game series against Mars Hill this weekend starting on Friday at 3 p.m. from the banks of Mossy Creek. All of the contests will air on cneagles.com/live with audio and video streams.
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