WINGATE, N.C. – Despite taking early leads, 22nd-ranked Carson-Newman allowed six home runs and saw Wingate's offense kick into gear as the Eagles lost two games by a 12-7 tally Friday at Ron Christopher Stadium seeing their eight-game South Atlantic Conference winning streak come to an end.
Carson-Newman (15-7, 10-4) has dropped four straight to the Bulldogs with Wingate (14-7, 12-6) ensuring that the Eagles will not leave the Tar Heel State with a series victory. C-N has not won a series on the road in the matchup since 2011.
Zach Boze (Gallatin, Tenn.) paced the offense on the day with four hits in seven at bats scoring three runs. Tyler Thompson (Gallatin, Tenn.) tallied three hits but two were two-run home runs. C-N only drew three walks but blasted five long balls of their own.
Game One: WINGATE 12, Carson-Newman 7 (7 Innings)
The teams combined to hit nine home runs in the game with Wingate producing five. It was the first time the Orange and Blue allowed that many long balls since doing so to the Bulldogs on April 15, 2017, dating back 156 games and 1,439 days ago.
Carson-Newman reset its season high for home runs blasting four in the game after posting three games with a trio of dingers. It was the most hit in a road game since blasting four at Mars Hill in game one of a twin-bill on March 2.
After the first two men were retired in the opening half inning, Boze drove a double down the left-field line. With the count full, Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) blasted his third homer of the season clearing the fencing in left field to put the Eagles on top 2-0.
Each of the first five Bulldogs to step to the plate reached safely with McCann Mellett and Hunter Dula hitting two-run homers to start the game. A sacrifice fly from Andrew McKay capped a five-run first for the home side to snare a 5-2 lead.
Andrew Carpenter (Morristown, Tenn.) pulled the Eagles within two runs with one out in the top of the second hitting his third home run of the year to the scoreboard in left field. Three batters later with a runner on base, Thompson cranked his fourth roundtripper of the year to left-center field to tie the score at five.
With one out in the bottom of the second, the home club loaded the bases getting a run home on a sacrifice fly. Two pitches later, Michael Dansky turned around a 1-0 offering hitting over the wall in right to swell the Wingate bulge to 9-5.
Once again with two outs, the Bulldogs added to their lead with Mellett dribbling a ball through the right side of the infield on a 0-2 pitch to stretch the margin to 10-5.
Travis doubled with one out in the top of the sixth. Gunnar Ricketts (Hixson, Tenn.) pinch hit and deposited a 3-2 offering over the wall in right field to trim the deficit to 10-7.
Wingate had that answer in the bottom of the inning as Mellett and Jed Bryant hit back-to-back long balls to get the score back out to a 12-7 advantage.
Travis paced the offense going 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored with no other Eagle tallying more than one poke. Thompson and Ricketts each added a pair of RBIs.
Jake Wright (Ringgold, Ga.) took the loss giving up six earned runs on five hits and two walks after entering the game with one earned run allowed in the first 14 2/3 innings of his career.
Mellett led the Wingate offense going 3-for-3 with a pair of long balls, four RBIs and three runs scored. Justin Guy added a 2-for-4 line with crossing the plate twice. Dula drove in two and Dansky added three RBIs.
David Nash earned the win despite allowing seven earned runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings punching out four and walking a batter.
SEE YA!!! @TylerThompson47 swats his second homer of the day to put the Eagles on top.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) March 26, 2021
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SO LONG ⚾! @grick15 drills the fourth long ball of the game for the Eagles, a two-run shot to right.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) March 26, 2021
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Game Two: WINGATE 12, Carson-Newman 7
The teams were scoreless after two innings before the Eagles exploded for six runs in the third. Micah Genter (Jasper, Tenn.) pushed a bunt perfectly to the right side of the infield for a single to lead off the inning. Thompson cranked a 1-2 pitch off of the batter's eye in straightaway center field for his second homer of the day to open the scoring.
With runners at second and third base, Matt Parkinson (Whitesboro, N.Y.) trickled a ball to second base. The throw to the plate went well wide allowing both runners to score. Two batters later with two in scoring position, Kilian Daughtry (Simpsonville, S.C.) blooped a ball over the second baseman's head to score the duo.
In the bottom of the third, Wingate loaded the bases with one out and settled for two runs with Dula walking and Dansky hitting a sacrifice fly to center field to cut the margin to 6-2.
The Bulldogs added two more in the bottom of the fourth when Mellett dribbled a ball through the right side of the infield with two outs on a 1-2 count to pull the home team within a 6-4 tally.
Boze singled to start the fifth inning and was standing at second base with one out. Parkinson shoveled a grounder back up the box and into center field to get a run back and stretch the C-N lead to 7-4.
There were two outs and a runner at third base when a hit batter and a walk loaded the bases. Dula hit a towering fly ball to center field that the Eagles lost in the lights watching the ball drop and clearing the bases to tie the score at seven. It was an ominous sign and one that C-N could not recover from.
Mellett led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a solo dinger to right field opening the door for a five-run inning. Andrew McKay and Gehrig Christopher drove in a run with Andrew Motsinger pushing a two-base hit down the right-field line to put the Eagles behind 12-7.
Boze and Daughtry led the offense with three hits apiece with the latter driving in two. Thompson finished his day with a 2-for-4 effort knocking in two and Parkinson adding a pair of RBIs.
Tyler Shaver (Dandridge, Tenn.) was a tough-luck loser being on the mound with the lost fly ball occurred. The righty had not allowed an earned run in his last eight games and 31 innings of work but was hit with seven earned runs on seven hits and three walks fanning eight, the second-most of his career.
Five Bulldogs produced multiple hits led by Motsinger going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Mellett was not far behind with a 3-for-3 effort driving in three and scoring thrice. Between the two games, he went 6-for-6 with seven RBIs and seven runs scored.
Wingate entered the weekend ninth in the conference in runs per game and batting average but hit .393 on the day and drew 14 walks. They tied their third-most runs scored in any game this year.
Mac Callari captured the win hurling 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief punching out five and yielding four hits and a walk.
The two clubs will finish up the series starting at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon as the Eagles look to bounce back.
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