VIDEO: Gunnar Ricketts Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Trailing 5-0 in the fifth inning of game one, Carson-Newman scored six unanswered to walk-off the South Atlantic Conference series opener against UVA Wise before eight solid stanzas from Brayden paced a 7-3 victory in the nightcap Friday at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
"It's huge any time you get a doubleheader and you're able to win two especially with the way started today too," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "They did a great job of taking advantage of [Matt Bradley] missing his spots. It's very similar to Catawba being down and Ryan Smithson does not add more runs the score and Shaver shutting it down. We had some big hits offensively. In the second game, it all started on the mound. Coe and Parkinson had good flow going. I thought Matt did a good job calling the game. The bottom part of the lineup today was very efficient and very good."
Gunnar Ricketts (Hixson, Tenn.) notched a pair of two-hit days at the office driving in four total runs and crossing the plate three times. Overall, Carson-Newman (9-4, 5-3) pounded out 22 hits with six multi-hit days at the park.
"I was just trying to simplify everything," Ricketts said. "I have been talking to coach Griff and my teammates have had my back telling me to stay with the process, stay locked in and the hits will come. I've been trying to simplify my swing, work in and out a little bit. They start falling eventually so I am glad to my team out that way."
The Eagles have won eight straight matchups with UVA Wise (1-7, 0-6) including a 9-0 record in meetings at Mossy Creek. With a long ball in each game, C-N has blasted a dinger in six straight contests.
Game One: CARSON-NEWMAN 6, UVA Wise 5
Wise struck first in the top of the third inning. An infield single, a hit batter and a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third base. Tyler Blaum sent a drive to the wall in straightaway center field to bring in the game's first run on a sacrifice fly putting the Cavs ahead 1-0.
Matt Bradley (Talbott, Tenn.) retired the first two batters of the fourth before an infield single and a hit batter extended the stanza. Cole Harness belted a 1-2 pitch into the air and over the wall in left-center field, a few feet to the right of the 18-foot high wall to add the Wise advantage stretching the score to 4-0.
After the Cavs added a run on an RBI double from Tyler Blaum to push the margin to 5-0 in the top of the fifth, the Eagles struck for four in the bottom of the frame.
Micah Genter (Jasper, Tenn.) chopped an RBI double inside of the third-base bag to get the home side on the board before scoring on a base hit back up the box by Matt Parkinson (Whitesboro, N.Y.) to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Two batters later, Ricketts pulled a long fly ball to right field that cleared the wall in front of the scoreboard for his first C-N homer in his 97th career at-bat to pull the Eagles within a run at 5-4.
"I was just trying to move the runner," Ricketts said. "I start the game 0-for-2. He left a pitch a little up and I squared it up pretty well. I got a hold of it. It may have gotten in the wind but hey it's a home run in the books."
In the bottom of the seventh, Genter lined to center field setting the stage for a barrage of base runners. Two hit batters in a row brought Ricketts to the plate. The left-handed hitter sliced a double to the gap in left center to tie the score at five. After an intentional walk, Brendan Krob (Justice, Ill.) ripped a low liner under the glove of a drawn-in third baseman to bring in the winning run and start the celebration.
Carson-Newman's bullpen duo of Ryan Smithson (Monroe, Ga.) and Tyler Shaver (Dandridge, Tenn.) combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings with the former fanning four.
Ricketts led the Eagles offensively going 2-for-4 with a career-high three RBIs. Kilian Daughtry (Simpsonville, S.C.) added a two-hit afternoon.
Blaum powered the Wise lineup notching a pair of doubles and three RBIs in four plate appearances. Garrett Stiltner took a no-decision despite the best start of the year by a Cavalier allowing two earned runs on four hits and a walk over 4 1/3 innings.
BASE. KNOCK.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) March 5, 2021
WALK. OFF.
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— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) March 5, 2021
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Game Two: CARSON-NEWMAN 7, UVA Wise 3
For the third time this year, the Eagles scored first getting a pair in the opening inning. Henry Jackson (Waxhaw, N.C.) lined a base hit to right field to plate a run and scored on a fielding error at shortstop to make it a 2-0 game after an inning.
Two errors paved the way for two runs in the second before Tyler Thompson (Gallatin, Tenn.) added an RBI single in the third inning to put the home club ahead 5-0.
In the bottom of the fourth with one out and one man on base, Parkinson launched his team-leading sixth home run of the year slightly to left of straightaway center for a two-run home run to push the lead out to 7-0.
Ethan Fletcher doubled to the gap in left field moved to third on a ground out and scored on an error at second base to get the Cavaliers on the board and trim the margin to 7-1 in the top of the seventh.
In the ninth inning with one out, Clay Taylor crushed a breakeven pitch over the wall in left field for a two-run blast to pull the Cavaliers within four before a fly out to left and ground out to short ended the day.
Brayden Coe (Bridgeville, Pa.) tossed a career-high eight innings throwing 108 pitches yielding a run on four hits and two walks fanning six to secure his second victory of the year.
Parkinson finished the day a triple shy of the cycle going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a runs scored. Thompson, Ricketts and Jackson also notched a pair of pokes as C-N outhit the Cavaliers 14-6.
Wise used seven different pitchers with the final four combining to shut out the Eagles offense. Justin Reed took the loss giving up four earned runs on six hits over two frames. Campbell and Fletcher each had a pair of hits.
The Eagles and Cavaliers wrap up the four-game series on Satuday starting at noon with the seven-inning game before the nine-frame outing. Both affairs air on cneagles.com/live with audio and video options available on the Eagle Sports Network.
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