JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After falling behind 2-0, the Carson-Newman (12-13) scored 10 unanswered runs including nine in the final three innings to top the Cedarville Yellow Jackets (6-7) 10-2 Wednesday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
"You want to stay a couple runs close enough to give yourself a chance," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "I thought our bullpen, I thought [Dustin] Batson was outstanding in relief really coming in and establishing the strike zone. He gave us quick innings which got everyone back in [the dugout] to give us a chance to do something."
After leaving the bases loaded in the top of the first inning, Cedarville brought two men across the plate in the second stanza. A walk and an error allowed the first two men to reach. Colton Potter ripped the first pitch he saw over a leaping Bryan Everhart (Greeneville, Tenn.) at shortstop into leftfield to bring home the game's first run. A groundout by Marshall Johnson plated a run to make it 2-0.
Carson-Newman scratched a run across in the bottom of third inning. Senior catcher J.D. Cowart (Athens, Tenn.) hit a ball just passed a diving Drew Johnson at third base for a leadoff double. With two outs and Cowart still at second base, senior first basemen Evan Jurjevic (New Carlisle, Ind.) finished a seven-pitch at-bat with a floating single to left-centerfield to make it 2-1.
The Eagles took the lead in the bottom of the sixth. After Cedarville starter Steve Cardwell retired the first batter, freshman designated hitter Austin Kearney (Powell, Tenn.) hit a laser past the shortstop into leftfield for a base hit. For the second straight day, Everhart drove the first pitch he saw over the fence down the leftfield line to put the home team on top 3-2.
With a runner at first base and one out in the bottom of the seventh, freshman rightfielder Cade Snapp (Seymour, Tenn.) clobbered the first pitch he saw well over the leftfield wall to extend the lead to 5-2.
Griffin's group doubled their run output as they batted around in the bottom of the eighth inning. The first six batters reached with junior centerfielder Joe Tipton (Dandridge, Tenn.) started the scoring with a towering chopper over the first basement to plate a run. Junior third basemen Brandon Roberts (Davie, Fla.) extended his hitting streak to seven games with a double inside of the first base bag to plate two more runs and make it an 8-2 contest. A sacrifice fly by Snapp and a throwing error brought home the final two runs of the game for Carson-Newman.
Eagle pitchers retired 12 of the final 13 batters they faced as Cedarville stranded 10 men on base on the day.
All nine starters hit safely for the first time since April 9, 2013 at Belmont Abbey when the Eagles defeated the Crusaders 10-8 on the road.
"Early on we were too tentative on fastballs," Griffin said. "We were taking pitches and looking for too good of pitch. I wrote down in my notes a little more discipline and a little more want to at the plate. Fortunately we got some of that taken place later in the game."
Sophomore second basmen Joey Selitto (Newton, N.J.) went 2-for-4 with a run scored, notching his second multi-hit day is as many games. Tipton also went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the offensive attack.
"I feel good being down there," Selitto said of hitting in the eight-spot. "I feel like I helped the team by getting on base. Tipton is playing really well too so everyone else is getting me in when I get on base so I'm doing my job I feel like."
Sophomore righthander Ryan Eberle (Cookeville, Tenn.) went five innings yielding seven hits, two runs, one earned run, four walks and one strikeout.
Junior reliever Dustin Batson (Pisgah Forest, N.C.) earned his first career victory by hurling two perfect innings.
Carson-Newman is back in action this weekend with a three-game home series scheduled against the Coker Cobras beginning Saturday at noon for a doubleheader and finishing with a 1 p.m contest Sunday. All three games will be broadcast in high definition courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network by visiting cneagles.com/live.
- CN -
