JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Matt Parkinson hit two home runs and Carson-Newman scored nine runs and produced 10 hits with two outs defeating Lee 12-6 Wednesday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex to run its winning streak to four games.
Parkinson finished his second career start by going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored bringing his season long ball total to three. The Eagles went 10-for-18 with two outs in the game.
"Our offense was outstanding today," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "We had more quality at bats today than in any other game this season. The guys did an exceptional job with two strikes and two outs putting the ball in play. We had a lot of guys contribute top to bottom in the lineup. They battled against a really good pitching staff and a really good team.
"I thought Jake Wright did a great job in middle relief. Tyler Shaver was really solid in his first outing of the year to keep us in control. It's a really good, quality win against a really quality program."
Carson-Newman (4-1) has won four straight games and two in a row against Lee (5-1) handing the Flames their first loss of the year and breaking the club's nine-game winning streak dating back to a March 3, 2020 loss at Bellarmine.
After a two-out hit gave Lee a 1-0 lead in the first, Parkinson tied the score in the bottom of the second blasting a 2-2 offering over the wall in straightaway center field. It was the first of seven straight stanzas that the Eagles put at least one run on the board.
The first two batters were retired in the third inning before the Eagles exploded for three. Tyler Thompson (Gallatin, Tenn.) cranked a 1-2 pitch over the wall in center field for his first home run of the season. Zach Boze (Gallatin, Tenn.) and Parkinson added RBI singles to move the margin to 4-1.
Lee pulled within a run in the bottom of the fourth inning as Landon Silver drove a two-run home run into the foliage beyond center field making it a 4-3 affair.
The Eagles tacked one on in the fourth on a ground out before getting three more runs in the fifth. Back-to-back singles by Kilian Daughtry (Simpsonville, S.C.) and Andrew Carpenter (Morristown, Tenn.) sandwiched around a double steal of home to make it an 8-3 contest through five.
Boze delivered his second RBI knock of the game in the sixth and the Eagles surged ahead 9-3 after six innings.
The Flames mounted a rally in the seventh as five straight batters reached safely. With one out and two men on, Ryan Beamish launched a three-run homer over the wall in right-center field to trim the deficit in half. With two on and one out, Tyler Shaver (Dandridge, Tenn.) induced a fly out and tallied a punch out to end the threat.
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— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) February 17, 2021
A single up the middle from @zboze32 extends the Orange and Blue lead.
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�� @mparkinson_2 had a day for @CNBaseball
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) February 18, 2021
�� Two home runs
3⃣ RBIs
3⃣ Runs scored pic.twitter.com/eF1ZDpYeaX
Thompson knocked in two with two outs in the seventh and Parkinson added his second bomb of the day on the first pitch he saw with two outs in the eighth to make it a 12-6 affair.
On the mound, six pitchers combined to match a season high with 15 strikeouts in the game with a trio tallying at least three. The Eagles allowed four total walks in the game.
Six different Carson-Newman players registered multi-hit games and three drove in two or more runs. Thompson finished the day with a 3-for-5 line adding three RBIs and two runs with a stolen base.
Lee used seven pitchers as six surrendered at least one run in the game as the starter, Alan Carter, was the lone man to put up a zero facing the minimum in the first, his lone frame of work.
The Flames produced a fourth straight game with double-digit hits with four players notching a two-hit day. Beamish was one of the quartet driving in four of the team's six runs in the game.
The Eagles are back in action at home on Saturday starting at noon for a doubleheader against Newberry in a non-conference series against the Wolves. There will be an audio and video stream available on cneagles.com/live for both contests.
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