JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In a game that featured 17 different pitchers, Carson-Newman saw nine hurlers record the team's third shutout of the season beating King 8-0 at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex Wednesday afternoon.
"I was happy for them," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "We got to use a lot of arms. Midweek games we got some guys some work. I'm really happy especially for our seniors that got to throw today. They did a great job. Mitchell [Balint] was good back there. We got some key hits. We still left a couple guys on but overall a really good day."
On the mound, the club used nine hurlers allowing just two hits and four walks while fanning a dozen batters. The group threw 74 of 115 pitches for strikes in the game retiring the side in order four times after sitting down the first seven Tornado hitters of the game.
Carson-Newman (16-15) has won the last three against King (10-19) and five of the last six recording a shutout for the second straight year at Mossy Creek against the Tornado after not producing one in 32 years.
The Eagles scored in each of the first three innings going ahead 4-0. After a double steal of home in the first, back-to-back sacrifice flies to right field in the second expanded the lead to three. Another sacrifice fly in the third kept the club rolling early.
In the seventh inning, the Orange and Blue doubled their scoring output with a four-run frame to go on top 8-0. Aiden Gibson (Cleveland, Tenn.) drew a bases loaded walk to bring in a run before a fielding error at short added another. Trey Miller (Rocky Point, N.Y.) ripped a two-run single to left field to highlight the scoring.
Miller led the lineup going 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the game and Gibson tallied two of the club's 11 knocks. James Denten (Mt. Prospect, Ill.) reached base three times in the game and extended his hitting streak to six in a row.
"I honestly didn't know that I had a hitting streak like that going," Denten said. "It just feels good. I feel like I'm putting quality swings. I have my confidence back. I feel like I'm playing for the team rather than myself now. When you come into a new environment you have expectations on yourself but it's just the game of baseball. I'm playing the same game I've played since I was a little kid."
Grif Hughes (Knoxville, Tenn.) earned his fourth win of the year throwing 10 pitches in a 1-2-3 first inning as seven different hurlers threw 15 pitches or fewer in their inning of work.
King went 0-for-12 with runners on base and 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position for the day. Ethan Hawkins was on base three times and Derek Martin had a double as the unit had a runner at second base just three times in the outing.
Eight pitchers toed the slab for the visitors with four giving up at least one run. The middle three did not allow a hit allowing three base runners.
The Eagles host a three-game South Atlantic Conference series against Lincoln Memorial this weekend at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex. All three games are available on FloSports with a paid subscription and with an audio-only stream on cneagles.com/live.
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