DAHLONEGA, GA – Carson-Newman's Lance Reed delivered a bases-loaded triple and five Eagles combined to hold North Georgia to seven hits as the Eagles beat the Saints, 7-2, on Tuesday afternoon at Bob Stein Stadium.
The win snaps a three-game winning streak for the Saints (11-9) against the Eagles (12-13) who avenged a 7-2 loss to North Georgia earlier in the season at the Carolina Outdoors classic.
Reed's fifth-inning triple found the gap in deep left center as the Eagles broke a one-run game. Lance Rorex followed with a single to right center to give Carson-Newman the 5-0 lead. Sophomore Phillip Duncan also had a single in the inning, later scoring on Reed's shot along with Kyle Koeneman and Zach Long, both of whom walked.
C-N took a 1-0 lead into the inning after Koeneman blasted a solo home run to leftcenter field, his eighth of the year.
Reliever Ryan Fillers (WP, 2-4) pitched a pair of scoreless innings in the start for the Eagles. Starter Brandon Timmerman, Chris Armstrong, and Koeneman all tossed scoreless innings as the Eagles used five pitchers. Timmerman struck out three in 3.0 innings of work.
North Georgia had chances all day, but they failed to capitalize on them as they stranded nine runners on base, including the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth.
The Saints rallied in bottom of the six when Matthew Black hit a two-out, two-run double to left center cutting the deficit to just three, but they would be all the offense North Georgia would muster.
The Eagles put the game out of reach in the top of eighth when they scored three runs on three hits with the big blow coming off the bat of Troy Zawadzki who delivered a two run double down the left field line. Three batters later, Koeneman hit a sac fly center to cap the score in the inning and the contest.
The Saints threatened in the bottom of the frame as they loaded the bases without getting a hit, but Eagles reliever Ryan Fillers got Andrew Gordon to pop out and Tremayne Toorie to ground into a fielder's choice to end the threat.
Duncan was 3-for-4 to lead the Eagles. Koeneman added a 2-for-3 day with two RBIs. Rorex and rightfielder Evan Kirkpatrick each had two hits in the game.
Wes Coberly got the loss tossing five innings allowing five runs on eight hits.
Black was the lone bright spot for the Saints as he accounted for three of the teams seven hits and both RBI's.
The Saints wrap-up the midweek series tomorrow, March 14, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 pm at Bob Stein Stadium.
