JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Senior Jon Dalton (Rutledge, Tenn.) ripped a two-out grand slam over the centerfield fence in the bottom of the seventh inning to carry Carson-Newman past visiting Anderson (S.C.), 8-6, on Friday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference baseball action.
With the win, C-N improves to 4-10 on the year and 1-3 in SAC play, while Anderson falls to 9-7 and 3-1 in league play.
Dalton's grand slam, his second home run of the year, was the big blow in a five-run sixth as the Eagles rallied from a 6-2 deficit.
The senior lined a two-out offering from Anderson starter T.J. Estes (Roch Hill, S.C.) to draw the Eagles even at 6-6 with the two-out rally.
Aaron Vargas (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) singled with one-out to start the rally. Evan Patterson (Knoxville, Tenn.) followed by drawing a walk and Estes hit Lucas Mohon (Glasgow, Ky.) with a two-out pitch to set the stage for Dalton to tie the game.
The Eagles moved a head later in the inning when Morgan Gregory (Nashville, Tenn.) doubled off of reliever Justin Rogers (Belton, S.C.) and scored on an error by Rogers on a Troy Zawadzki (Shrewsbury, Mass.) chopper.
C-N would add an insurance run in the eighth.
Senior Cody Nix (Cartersville, Ga.) singled and advanced to second on an error to lead off. After a Vargas sacrifice moved Nix up to third, junior Lance Rorex (Chattanooga, Tenn.) delivered an RBI single to plate Nix.
Things looked bleak for the Eagles through six innings as Anderson methodically built a 6-2 lead. Junior Blake May (Largo, Fla.) and junior Ryan Saxon (Landrum, S.C.) led the Trojans with three hits each.
The two combined for two runs in the fifth as the Trojans built a 5-2 lead. May led off the inning with a single, which Saxon followed with a two-run home run, his second of the season.
Anderson got things going early with three singles in the first inning to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Saxon and Erick Sanderson (Hanahan, S.C.) each had RBI singles in the frame.
The Trojans hit Eagle starter Austin Bridgewater (Morristown, Tenn.) for six earned runs and 10 hits in six innings of work, but the bullpen shut the door down the stretch, allowing one hit over the final three innings.
Senior Mike Mullen (Bradenton, Fla.) allowed one hit in two innings of work to pick up the win and move to 1-0 on the year, while sophomore Ben McKinney (Johnson City, Tenn.) came on to get the save in the ninth. He allowed a walk while striking out the side.
Rorex led the Eagles with a 3-for-5 day. Vargas added two hits and scored twice.
The two teams will play a doubleheader tomorrow at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex. First pitch is at noon.
