JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In a game where each team hit three home runs, Limestone used a six-run sixth inning to overcome its third deficit of the day to win at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex for the first time Tuesday afternoon by a 10-8 tally over Carson-Newman.
"This game is about three facets – offense, defense and pitching," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "We aren't doing that right now. Today the offense was good. We just aren't on all cylinders right now like good teams have to do. We didn't pitch it as well but the offense is scoring more runs. Someone has to pick the other guy up."
In nine games since the two began playing at Mossy Creek, Limestone (18-20) picks up its first-ever victory at the Carson-Newman (20-19) ball park winning for the third time in four tries over the Eagles in 2018.
After the first two were retired on five pitches in the bottom of the first inning, Cade Snapp (Seymour, Tenn.) blasted a 2-1 offering over the fence in left field for his seventh home run of the season to put the Eagles on top 1-0.
Limestone starter Alex Grooms had retired seven straight since the Snapp home run when John Sharpe (Franklin, Tenn.) stepped to the plate in the bottom of the third with two outs. With the count holding at 3-1, Sharpe sizzled a pitch beyond the left-field wall for his fourth long ball of the season to push the lead to 2-0.
Limestone tied the score at two in the top of fourth inning. Chase Allen cranked his 21st dinger of the campaign on a 1-2 pitch to begin the stanza. After a punch out, Zach Garrick was hit by a pitch and came in to score on a double that one-hopped the wall in the right-center field alley by Ryan Creps.
It was a short-lived tie as Ethan Goforth (Blacksburg, Va.) ambushed the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth and crushed a home run to left field for his second of the season and first in 127 at-bats. Following two straight strikeouts, Charlie Brown (Sevierville, Tenn.) shoveled a single back up the box. Two pitches later, he took off for second base. Catcher Brandon Banks threw the ball into center field and Brandon Etheridge tossed the ball into the dugout allowing Brown to score and make it a 4-2 game.
The top of the fifth inning began ominously for the Eagles on a hit batter and two walks. After a fielder's choice and a punch out, Creps lined a base hit into center field to score two and knot the tally at four.
Carson-Newman's offense once again had the answer as Sharpe walked with one out and Snapp doubled to left. Goforth flared a ball into shallow left field that Creps could not make a diving catch on allowing two runners to score. A walk and a balk moved the runners to second and third base. A sacrifice fly from Cal Smith (Panola, Texas) capped a three-run frame to put the Eagles on top 7-4.
Limestone stormed back in the top of the sixth batting around and scoring six times to take a 10-7 advantage. After a fly out to start the inning a single and a double put two men on base. With the shift in tack Matt Orth ripped a ball into right field that Sharpe stopped but allowed a run to score. Allen stepped in and launched a 2-2 delivery over the wall in left field for his blast of the day to make it an 8-7 contest. A walk to the next batter and a home run by Creps two men later put a punctuation on the comeback.
The Eagles scratched a run across in the bottom of the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Hal Bishop (Knoxville, Tenn.) to pull the home club within two. C-N got a two-out single from Goforth in the ninth but a ground out to third ended the effort.
Goforth paced C-N offensively with three hits in five tries with three RBIs and two runs scored. Snapp was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and the home run.
Allen stuffed the stat sheet with a 2-for-4 day with four RBIs and two runs scored for his fourth multi-homer day of the season. Creps with 3-for-4 with five RBIs and a run scored.
Austin Conner (Sevierville, Tenn.) took his first loss since his freshman year allowing a career-high six earned runs in an inning of work.
Michael Todd Harris earned his first win of the season tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings before Taylor Moose registered his second save of the year working the ninth inning.
The Eagles wrap up their eight-game homestand stand with a three-game South Atlantic Conference series against Lenoir-Rhyne starting on Friday at 3 p.m. Fans can enjoy audio and video streams on cneagles.com/live starting 10 minutes before the first pitch.
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