JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Five young relievers, including three who had never pitched before, combined to throw 7 1/3 innings giving up four runs but Quincy scored 12 runs in the first two innings to blank Carson-Newman 16-0 on Friday at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
"That was so good to see these guys," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "They had very limited experience but they did a good job throwing up a couple zeroes right there. It's a credit to them that they are working at this thing even though they may not be travelling a lot. It's also a credit to our pitching coaches that they are ready to come in her in a tough situation and pitch as well as they did."
The Hawks wasted no time jumping out to a 5-0 lead in their first journey to the plate batting around before the Eagles hit the bat rack. After a hit batter, Dayson Croes banged a ball off of the wall in center field to start the scoring. Three straight run-scoring hits with one out by Gino D'Alessio, Austin Simpson and Zach Parks capped the scoring.
Carson-Newman pitching gave up its highest scoring inning of the year in the second as the Hawks scored seven times to blow open the game at 12-0. A hit batter, a single and an error loaded the bases for Lance Logsdon to launch a grand slam to center field as the big blow of the frame. Croes added a two-run double after an RBI ground out.
Quincy (4-4) added three more runs in the fourth inning behind a two-run single from Logsdon and an RBI single to right-center from D'Alessio swelling the bulge to 15-0. Simpson added an RBI single in the sixth to push it out to 16-0.
Shut out for just the eighth time since 2015, the Eagles were blanked for the first time since falling 6-0 at 18th-ranked Catawba on March 17, 2019, 127 games and 1,085 days ago. Carson-Newman (10-8) had not been shut out at home since being one-hit in a 16-0 defeat to Mars Hill on April 8, 2018, a span of 147 games and 1,425 days.
The Eagles did manage eight hits including loading the bases with one out in the third but a double play ball ended the threat. Kilian Daughtry (Simpsonville, S.C.) and Micah Genter (Jasper, Tenn.) each had a pair of pokes.
C-N pitching did not allow a hit in the final three innings with the crew of Jackson Harbin (Gastonia, N.C.), Nolan Rogers (Dandridge, Tenn.), Ryan Finnigan (Newport, Tenn.), Will Crain (Dover, Tenn.) and Robert McDaniel (Columbus, Ga.) striking out five and giving up seven hits in the final 7 1/3 innings.
Logsdon finished his day going 3-for-4 with six RBIs and three runs scored while Croes and Simpson each had three RBIs. Every starter either drove in a run or touched the plate in the game.
Spencer Walker earned the win tossing seven scoreless innings fanning six throwing 91 pitches as he scattered eight hits and one walk.
The Eagles and the Hawks continue their series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon from Mossy Creek. There will be a video stream only available at cneagles.com/live.
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