BRISTOL, Tenn. – King registered one of the highest error totals in Division II making six miscues as Carson-Newman watched an eight-run lead subside before battling back to win a 12-10 Tuesday affair at King Baseball Field.
The Eagles improve to 17-4 against non-conference foes on the year having won eight of their last nine while toppling King (10-12) for the ninth time in the last 12 meetings.
Carson-Newman (19-10) sees its offensive kick back into gear scoring double digits for the 10th time this season with the program scoring over nine runs per non-conference game in 2019.
Miscues aided a C-N rally in the top of the third inning with a wild pitch and two errors scoring Ethan Goforth (Blacksburg, Va.) to open the scoring putting men at second and third. Tyler Thompson (Gallatin, Tenn.) had the green light on a 3-0 pitch ripping a single to left field to bring in the pair and put the Eagles ahead 3-0.
With two men on and two outs in the top of the fourth, John Sharpe (Franklin, Tenn.) drove a 1-2 pitch to deep right field that cleared the glove of Austin Meyer dropping onto the warning track to score a pair and extend the lead to 5-0.
Hunter Barbour dug into the batter's box with two outs and no one on in the bottom of the fourth and cranked a solo homer over the wall in right field to get King on the board.
Griffin's group wasted no time answering with Jordan Griffin (Ellerslie, Ga.) ripping a double to left field to plate Brendan Campbell (Yardley, Pa.) in the top of the fifth. C-N was not done adding three more in the frame to stretch the bulge to 9-1. A fielding error brought home Alan Silva (Gatlinburg, Tenn.) before Sharpe produced his second two-out, two-run double of the day down the right-field line.
The Tornado scored the next eight runs over the next three frames putting up a pair in the fifth on a two-run single to left field by Kevin Barbato. The big stanza came in the sixth runs scoring on an error and a passed ball before a bases clearing double to right-center field by Tony Valdes made it a one-run game. A sacrifice fly to left by Ashton King tied the tally at nine in the seventh.
Campbell doubled to left to start the top of the eighth scoring on a base hit to left field and a fielding error to give C-N the edge back at 10-9. It proved to be short-lived with Junior Renwick trickling a two-out single into center field in the eighth to level the score at 10.
Goforth opened the ninth inning with an infield single in the hole at second base. After a fly out, Mark Treadway (Friendsville, Tenn.) split the gap in left hustling around to third for a triple to bring in Goforth. Treadway crossed the plate a pair of offerings later on a wild pitch to make it a 12-10 game.
Hunter Long (Powell, Tenn.) slammed the door shut in the bottom of the ninth with two strikeouts and a fly out to shallow center field to secure his second save of the year.
Sharpe tallied four RBIs on the day going 2-for-5 with a run scored with Thompson adding a pair of runs driven in. Goforth scored four times going 2-for-4 with Campbell and Cal Smith (Kellar, Texas) each producing a pair of knocks.
King's pitching staff allowed six earned runs on the day using six pitchers, five of which yielded at least one run. Valdes led the men at the plate going 2-for-5 with three RBIs as five of his teammates scored at least twice.
The Eagles hop back into South Atlantic Conference action returning the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex this weekend against Tusculum starting Friday afternoon at 2 p.m.
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