JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Blitzing Mars Hill with 11 unanswered runs, Carson-Newman secured the first run-rule win with the new rule in place beating the Lions 11-1 in seven innings Friday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex, the first home game of the season.
"We did a really nice job," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "There were some big hits going backside. At Limestone in the first game we did not do a good job of using the whole field. Case in point, Brendan Krob was very out in front in the cage. We talked to him and he had a good day today going backside. The approaches today were good."
Carson-Newman (3-1) has beaten Mars Hill (0-1) in five of the last six meetings while extending its winning streak to nine games in home openers dating back to 2012 and improving its record under Griffin in home openers to 14-2.
Friday marked the fifth time in the last six that the Eagles have scored at least 10 runs against the Lions pushing their advantage to 31-17 in the all-time series in games play at Mossy Creek.
Leading off the second inning, Scottie Lee hammered a 1-0 pitch to straightaway center field clearing the fence for his first home run of the season opening the scoring and putting the visitors ahead 1-0.
The Eagles offense started clicking in the bottom of the third striking for three runs. Henry Jackson (Waxhaw, N.C.) ripped a double to the gap in left-center field to plate a pair before scoring on a fielding error to make it a 3-1 C-N lead.
C-N added five more in the fourth starting with a dropped fly ball by the left fielder to bring home the first run. Jackson, the next batter, ripped a ball to the fence in right field to plate a pair. After an error scored a man, Brendan Krob (Justice, Ill.) lined a ball into the right-field corner to score the fifth run and make it an 8-1 contest.
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Two more crossed the plate in the bottom of the fifth as Micah Genter (Jasper, Tenn.) scored on a wild pitch setting up Jackson once more. The sophomore shredded a single back up the box to bring home Charlie Brown (Sevierville, Tenn.) pushing the cushion to 10-1.
In the bottom of the sixth, Kilian Daughtry (Simpsonville, S.C.) provided the run that would secure a run-rule win when the senior blasted a 0-2 pitch over the fence in left-center field. It was his first long ball of the season.
Jackson paced the Eagles behind a 3-for-4 day finishing a long ball shy of the cycle adding a career-high five RBIs, his second career multi-RBI game and scoring a run.
Brown registered a career-high four hits going 4-for-4 with three runs scored from the nine spot in the lineup. Krob and Daughtry added a pair of pokes.
In his first start of the year, Matt Coles (Winter Garden, Fla.) dazzled over 5 2/3 innings on the rubber giving up one earned run on three hits and two walks. The southpaw fanned eight after entering the game with nine through his first 16 2/3 career innings.
"I was given short notice but I was told to be prepared any day this weekend," Coles said. "I just wanted to come in and do my job and do what I know how to do. I naturally work fast. I know Krob likes that. He taught me a lot last year and knows how I like to pitch and get me going with my rhythm. We were on the same page with pitch calling so that helped make things go quicker."
The Lions were limited to four total hits on the day with no one have more than one poke. Ruben Trillo was the lone man to reach base twice drawing a walk in the fourth and singling in the sixth.
The two teams are slated to finish the series on Sunday with a doubleheader in the Tar Heel State for a doubleheader starting at noon from Mars Hill.
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