JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Before Carson-Newman and Newberry meet in South Atlantic Conference play in the Palmetto State in March, the two programs will play a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex one week prior to the Eagles beginning league action.
Carson-Newman (4-1) has won four straight contests and is looking to make it five in a row behind a powerful offense that has scored 10-plus runs in three of the four during the winning streak. Six players have produced three or more RBIs through five games.
The Eagles have faced the Wolves 76 times entering this weekend but did not square off in 2020 due to the year being cut short by Covid. It was the first time since 1997 that the two clubs did not play. C-N holds a 49-27 overall advantage with a 30-7 mark in games played in Jefferson City.
However over the last six series played, each team has won three with Newberry (1-2) winning 11 of the 18 games courtesy of sweeps in 2015 and 2017. The Orange and Blue last won a series in 2018 on the road with their last home series win coming in 2016.
Entering the 2021 season, the Wolves were tabbed to finish second in the league edging out Wingate and being behind preseason favorite Catawba. In 2020, the program was 18-6 and second on the SAC table with a 7-2 marking sealing victories in six of the final eight affairs of the year.
Since 2019, a regular-season conference championship and NCAA regional host season, the Wolves are 60-24 overall tallying an impressive 28-5 mark in conference affairs. Newberry has feasted at home going 22-14 in road outings in that team even with an 8-2 mark in 2020.
Six players were named to preseason All-SAC squads, two on the mound and four in the field. Tomas Sorcia Jr. and Josh Bookbinder made up two-thirds of the starting pitchers on the first team. Bookbinder started the Wolves lone win in three tries against No. 4 North Greenville on Tuesday fanning four and not giving up an earned run in 6 2/3 innings. Two years ago he started the finale giving up 10 runs, nine earned on six walks and 11 hits as the Eagles salvaged the final game of the series 13-6.
Sorcia Jr. was the opening day starter and took the loss despite striking out seven in 4 1/3 innings where he gave up five earned runs and a homer. In 2020, he went 3-1 with a 3.31 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings. In 2019 against C-N he took home the win in game two throwing five innings giving up three earned runs.
The four position players were all on the second team. However that group is a combined 2-for-34 through the series against the Crusaders with eight strikeouts, one RBI and two runs scored.
Luke Orr has been the catalyst with six of the team's 17 hits with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored in the first series of 2021. He has hit safely in each game so far reaching base at least twice in all three with five hits in his last seven at-bats.
Orr was one of five players to notch at least three hits against Carson-Newman pitching in the 2019 series. Collin Allman, a preseason second-team All-SAC selection, was the top hitter with five hits, three doubles and two runs scored.
Both games of the doubleheader will feature audio and video streams free of charge by visiting cneagles.com/live for the play-by-play broadcast on the home of Carson-Newman athletics, the Eagle Sports Network.
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