HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Needing a comeback in game one to win 9-7 and using a five-run first to take the nightcap 9-6, Carson-Newman received an all-around contribution in winning a pair of contests at Charger Park against Alabama Huntsville Saturday.
"It was really good in the first game to be able to come back like that," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "It wasn't a clean game on either end but we got the big hit at the end of the game. Corey Wilson was good in relief. His shutout innings gave us a chance to come back.
"Our defense was solid in game two and our outfield was awesome covering ground and making plays. Jordan Griffin had a really good day offensively. Our pitchers gave up too many freebies but you have to make pitches and I thought we did that. Our middle relief was solid and did enough for us to get the win."
Five of the seven relievers used on the day hurled a scoreless outing as the bullpen yielded five total runs over 9 2/3 innings on the bump. The pitching staff as a whole gave up three total extra-base hits.
At the plate, 11 different players notched at least one hit with six registering multi-hit efforts in the two games. Nine different players touched home. Jordan Griffin (Ellerslie, Ga.) paced the club going 5-for-8 with two doubles, three RBIs and three runs scored.
Carson-Newman (3-0) won its fourth consecutive opening series in a year while beating Alabama Huntsville (0-2) for the first two times in the series after being outscored 28-8 in the first three affairs.
Game One: CARSON-NEWMAN 9, Alabama Huntsville 7
After a punch out opened the game, Gunnar Ricketts (Hixson, Tenn.) reached on an infield single and stole second base. Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) followed an error with a solid liner into left-center field to open the scoring and put the Eagles on top 1-0.
Alabama Huntsville loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first inning before plating a pair on a fielder's choice and a two-out single through the left side by Daniel McCary to give the home side a 2-1 edge after a frame.
Carson-Newman snatched the lead back in the top of the third thanks to a couple defensive miscues by the Chargers. With one out and runners at the corners, Zach Boze (Gallatin, Tenn.) fileted a single to left field to tie the score. Two batters later, Griffin shoveled a knock to left to bring in Travis and put the visitors back on top 3-2.
It was another short-lived lead with the Chargers tying the tally in bottom of the third. A lead-off single came around to score on a base knock to right field by Landon Ezzell.
Yet again, the Eagles regained the lead, this time in the top of the fifth inning on a one-out dribbler back up the box by Andrew Carpenter (Morristown, Tenn.) to make it a 4-3 affair.
This time around the home crew not only had the answer but put up four runs against the bullpen to go ahead 7-4. After a fly out to open the inning, a walk and three straight singles tied the score and put them on top. A wild pitch and another run-producing poke stretched the margin to three.
Henry Jackson (Waxhaw, N.C.) doubled to right field with one out in the top of the sixth. On a ground out to first, he moved to third and scored as the first baseman chucked a ball past the third baseman inching the Eagles to within two at 7-5.
In the top of the eighth, the Eagles got one more back on a base on balls with runners at the corners. The catcher threw down to second base with the runner on the move and heaved it into center field to pull C-N within a run at 7-6 but it stranded the bases loaded.
In the top of the ninth, Griffin's group loaded the bases with no out but a runner's interference call recorded the first out. Jackson knotted the score with a sacrifice fly to right field. Ricketts followed by slashing a two-run single to left field to give the Eagles a 9-7 edge.
Hunter Harritan (Huntersville, N.C.) walked two with two outs in the ninth but slammed the door shut in the bottom of the ninth. He and Corey Wilson (Germantown, Tenn.) combined for three shutout innings in relief.
The top three in the C-N lineup combined to go 7-for-13 at the plate with Ricketts leading the charge with a 3-for-4 day driving in two and scoring twice. Jackson went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Griffin and Kilian Daughtry each added two hits.
Alabama Huntsville committed six errors in the game as all four hurlers that recorded an out yielded at least one run in the game. Four Chargers tallied multi-hit days ass the club outhit the Eagles 14-13. McCary and Jackson Lindsey racked up a trio of knocks.
Game Two: CARSON-NEWMAN 9, Alabama Huntsville 6
Carson-Newman picked up where it left off in game one immediately scoring five times with two outs in the first. With runners at second and third base, Emery Peterson (Etowah, Tenn) tallied his first two RBIs of his career with a single back through the middle. Griffin lobbed a ball into right field to score Peterson and a dropped fly ball from the right fielder brought home two more.
Two of the first three Chargers reached in the bottom of the second before a walk loaded the bases with one out. Garrett Bodine was plunked to get the home team on the board and a fielder's choice inched Huntsville within three at 5-2.
With one out in the third, Boze ripped a ball to the alley in right-center field and hustled to third base for a triple. Peterson bounced an infield single over the mound to bring in Boze and scored when Griffin lined a double into right-center field to extend the margin back to five at 7-2.
Landon Ezzell made it a one-run game cranking a 1-0 offering with one out in the fourth over the fence in left field just to the left of the light pole in the alley slicing the margin to 7-6.
Peterson walked and Griffin singled with one down in the top of the fifth before Micah Genter (Jasper, Tenn.) laced a rocket down the left-field line on a 1-1 pitch to plate the duo and stretch the differential to 9-6.
While the top of the lineup dominated the first game, it was the bottom of the lineup that did most of the damage in game two with three of the bottom four hitters driving in multiple runs. Peterson had a career day going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Griffin notched a 3-for-4 line with two RBIs and two runs scored and Genter drove in a pair.
Four relievers combined to give up one run over 4 2/3 innings of work giving up just two hits before Jake Wright (Ringgold, Ga.) came in to pitch a scoreless seventh.
Bodine did not have a hit but drove in a pair of runs while Ezzell finished with two hits and two runs scored. Tyler Self took the loss surrendering seven runs, two earned, on six hits and a walk fanning five over four innings on the bump.
The two teams wrap up the series on Sunday starting at 2 p.m. with video and stats available and live updates through @CN_Eagles on Twitter and Instagram.
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