JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After not holding a lead during the game, Carson-Newman surged for three runs in the seventh stanza to jump out to a lead before securing a 6-3 victory over Limestone Tuesday at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
"Early on our pitchers had to keep us in the game," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "Their lefty was mixing things up, soft-throwing lefty that we were trying to get on with it. We were trying to get on time with it. We were keeping it close because of our pitchers. It was a really solid by the pitching staff.
"We changed things up to give a couple guys a rest here late in the season. Late we got some timely hits. Treadway stretching [a single into a double] was big. That was good ignition and that's what we want to do from the first pitch. I thought that was a good spark."
The Eagles take the fourth game of the five meetings on the season winning for the ninth time in 10 tries at Mossy Creek. Carson-Newman (24-17) snaps a two-game skid in the midweek handing Limestone (13-27) its fourth loss in-a-row.
Bases loaded? NBD. Cam Bloebaum has the stuff.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) April 9, 2019
⚜️ @LimestoneSaints 2
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Limestone posted the game's first run in the top of the second inning. A one-out walk and a base hit to the gap in left-center field put runners at second and third base. Josh Evans hit a sacrifice fly down the line in right field to open the scoring.
Dom Leo (Knoxville, Tenn) opened the bottom of the fourth frame with a base hit to right field and promptly stole second base. Four batters later with two outs, Alan Silva (Sevierville, Tenn) pulled a 1-0 offering through the left side of the infield to bring in Leo and tie the score at one.
Evans ignited a mini-rally in the fifth with a lead-off double. After a strikeout, Trace Whetsell dribbled a base hit through the right side of the infield as the Eagles were shifted to the left side to bring in Evans and put Limestone back on top 2-1. Cameron Bloebaum (Kinsey, Ala.) struck out Alex Cornell to leave the bases loaded.
In the bottom of the fifth, Mark Treadway (Friendsville, Tenn.) pinch hit and lined a single into right field for a base hit. A sacrifice bunt moved him to second base. Three batters later with two outs, Leo bounced a base hit into left field to bring in the tying run.
"I'm trying to stick with what I've been doing lately," Leo said. "The mindset of practice and seeing the baseball trying to make hard contact and staying out of the air. I just focused on seeing the baseball and not doing too much and pushing the ball through the holes."
Carson-Newman found its stroke in the seventh inning scoring three times to go on top 5-2. Treadway led off the inning with a base hit advancing to second base as the center fielder slipped fielding the ball. Following a sacrifice bunt, back-to-back doubles by John Sharpe (Franklin, Tenn.) and Ethan Goforth (Blacksburg, Va.) gave the Eagles the lead and insurance. Two batters later after a ground out, Michael Wroth (Chicopee, Mass.) drilled a single into center field to bring in Goforth with two outs.
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— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) April 9, 2019
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⚜️ @LimestoneSaints 2
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After Ben Huber homered to lead off the eighth, the Eagles got the run back in the bottom half of the frame. Treadway doubled off of the fence in left field and scored on a two-out base hit to center field by Charlie Brown (Sevierville, Tenn.) making it a 6-3 game entering the ninth.
Hunter Long (Powell, Tenn.) fired a 1-2-3 ninth innings with a pair of punch outs to nail down his fourth save of the season on 11 pitches. Overall the bullpen gave up one hit and struck out seven in 4 2/3 innings.
Treadway secured his second-career three-hit game scoring three times after coming off of the bench in the fifth inning. Silva and Leo each had a pair of knocks as C-N outhit 11-6.
Luke Friedman (Gilbert, Ariz.) started for the Eagles and tossed 4 1/3 innings of two-run baseball punching out a career-high six after five through 10 1/3 innings this season.
Limestone was 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and 0-for-11 with two outs in the game. Ryan Creps was the lone player with two hits going 2-for-5.
Marcus Johnson (3-5) took the loss surrendering five earned runs over 6 2/3 frames giving up nine hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
The Eagles embark on their final road trip of the season with a three-game slate on tap in Kannapolis, N.C. against first-year South Atlantic Conference school Queens. The first game of the series is Friday night at 6 p.m.
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