JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman is ready for its second three two-game midweeks hosting Shorter on Tuesday at 2 p.m. before travelling to Alabama-Huntsville on Wednesday at 2 p.m. looking to win a third non-conference affair in a row.
The Eagles will look to right the ship on the mound having allowed 49 runs through the first four games of March. Lead-off batters are reaching base at a .375 clip against the unit and hitting .363 with two outs. Opponents are hitting .356 with runners in scoring position.
Those numbers overshadow a lineup that has been hitting the ball well as coach Tom Griffin's group is reaching base at a .455 clip to start innings producing a .393 margin with runners in scoring position.
Tuesday is the 10th meeting between Carson-Newman (15-8) and Shorter (13-5) with the Eagles holding a 6-3 overall edge but the Hawks winning each of the last two outings since C-N's last victory, a 6-5 victory in the Volunteer State on Feb. 13. The two programs have split four meetings at Mossy Creek.
Last season the team's played one time on April 2 as Shorter scored in seven straight innings bookending the first and ninth jumping out to a 5-0 advantage. Carson-Newman went 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position and stranded a dozen men on base in an 8-4 loss.
The Hawks scored half of their runs with two outs going 7-for-16 with two men down on the day. Each team racked up 13 knocks on the day but Shorter won for the third time in nine meetings with Carson-Newman.
Tyler Thompson (Gallatin, Tenn.) finished with a 3-for-4 day at the office with Ethan Goforth going 2-for-4. Mark Treadway (Friendsville, Tenn.) and Alan Silva each added a pair of hits. Michael Avendano paced the Hawks with three hits as one of four visitors to post a multi-hit game.
Shorter started the season on fire winning each of its first six games and 11 of its opening 12 contests before dropping four in a row being swept by West Georgia. The team bounced back to take the final two games against Mississippi College over the weekend.
In 2019, fifth-year coach West Timmons led the Hawks to their first trip to the Gulf South Conference Tournament where the team lost 4-3 to West Florida and 8-4 to Montevallo. Preseason All-GSC picks Avendano and Bailey Gertsner lead the team's group of returners.
The Hawks hover around the middle of the pack in almost every offensive category posting the fourth-highest stolen base tally on the year with 34 in 45 attempts. Six players are hitting above .300 on the season led by Matt Christian's .364 clip in 33 at-bats.
The team has posted at least 10 runs in three of the last four times on the diamond and five times overall on the season. In 10 games, the Hawks have stolen multiple bases with half producing four or five.
On the mound, Shorter's pitching staff is yielding the fourth-lowest batting average against at .240 on the year yielding eight home runs. Chad Davis and Jonathan Pintaro have been a dynamic starting pitching duo going 7-2 combined with ERAs of 2.32 and 3.41 respectively.
C-N and Alabama-Huntsville (15-5) have played twice both coming during a doubleheader on Feb. 28, 2012 on the road with the Chargers winning 10-1 and 9-0. They have won nine straight games since an 8-3 loss to Union on Feb. 22 scoring double figures in each of the last four.
Tuesday's game can be found on cneagles.com/live with broadcast coverage on the Eagle Sports Network for all of the action from the friendly confines.
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