HARROGATE, Tenn. - After falling in walk-off fashion for the second straight game, Carson-Newman rebounded with an explosion of offense in the top of the seventh of the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against LMU to split the day.
The Eagles fell in to the Railsplitters 8-7 game one off of a walk-off walk with the bases loaded, before scoring six runs in the top of the seventh in game two to come from behind and knock off LMU 10-6 in the second game. Carson-Newman moves to 17-15 overall and 4-7 in the SAC while LMU moves to 15-13 overall and 6-5 in SAC play.
GAME ONE: Lincoln Memorial 8, Carson-Newman 7
For the second straight game, Carson-Newman saw a lead fall in the ninth inning in walk-off fashion, falling to the Railsplitters 8-7 in game one of Saturday's doubleheader.
The scoring started early for LMU as Cameron Bowen hit a solo shot over the left field wall with one out in the bottom of the 1st to give the Splitters the early 1-0 advantage.
The Eagles answered in the top of the second inning. After a Killian Daughtry single, the senior eventually ended up at third and then scored following Gunnar Ricketts reaching on a fielders choice to second, tying the game at one run apiece.
LMU responded with authority, opening the bottom of the second frame with back-to-back home runs by Sam Mast and Kasten Harvey to retake the 3-1 lead.
Carson-Newman opened the top of the third with an Andrew Carpenter single and a Harrison Travis double. With the bases loaded after a Daughtry walk, Zach Boze hit a sac fly to right field to score Carpenter, cutting the Splitter lead to 3-2.
Bowen led off the bottom of the third inning with a double, but Brayden Coe successfully picked him off at second to squash the LMU threat.
The Eagles tied the game in the top of the fourth inning after Henry Jackson's RBI single scored Jordan Griffin to move the score all square at three runs for each team. C-N tried to take the lead in the frame, but Ricketts was tagged out at home on a fielders choice by Mast to end the inning.
LMU exploded in the bottom of the fourth frame with back-to-back doubles, the second one by Tucker Hagan scored Andrew Keene and gave the Railsplitters the 4-3 lead. Collin Goda reached safely on a single, and a throwing error by Griffin allowed Hagan to score from second. Goda moved to third on a wild pitch, and while Mason Mooney was able to get a double play ball from Bowen, Goda came in to score to swell the LMU lead to 6-3 after four innings.
After leading off the top of the sixth with a single, Griffin eventually came around to score and cut the LMU lead to 6-4 after a Matt Parkinson single.
Both teams would stay quiet on offense, the best chance for a score coming from LMU in the bottom of the eighth. Harvey opened the inning with a leadoff triple, but a fly out to shallow center field by Keene, a strike out by Archer Wong-Shasteen, and a ground out by Goda kept the Splitters off the board.
In the top of the ninth, Harrison Travis and Daughtry both opened the frame with singles. Ryan Potts and Carson Kemp would both take over on the basepaths for the duo, coming around to score following back-to-back passed balls by Mast, tying the game at six. Carson-Newman took the lead following a two-out RBI single by Ricketts, and headed to the bottom of the ninth frame with a 7-6 advantage.
The bullpen once again struggled for the Eagles, as Hunter Harritan walked three batters to load the bases with two outs. Harritan walked his fourth batter of the inning with the bases loaded, scoring Bowen from third to tie the game at seven. LMU won the game on a walk-off walk on a 3-2 count with two outs in the inning after Ryan Smithson walked Keene, allowing Austin Cole to score the game-winning run.
Harritan earns the loss for the Eagles, his second of the season, falling to 0-2 after going 0.2 innings, walking four and allowing two runs to cross the plate. Beau Nichols earned the win for the Splitters, moving to 1-1 on the year after going 2.2 innings, allowing three hits, three runs, none of which were earned, walking two and striking out three.
GAME TWO: Carson-Newman 10, LMU 6 (7 innings)
For the second straight game, the Carson-Newman bats came to life in their final turn in regulation to bat, this time giving the Eagles the 10-6 win in seven innings.
LMU took the lead early, scoring a pair of runs off a two RBI triple by Chris Hall in the bottom of the second inning with one out. The Splitters were unable to add to the lead in the frame after Bryce Hanley gunned out Hall at home from short and Carson Boles lined out to Andrew Carpenter to end the inning.
The Splitters increased the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the third after Kasten Harvey grounded out into a double play but scored Ryan Kurth from third.
Carson-Newman took their first lead of the game thanks to four runs in the top of the fourth inning. After a leadoff double by Daughtry, Boze singled to center field to score him from second. Micah Genter drew a walk and after a throwing error allowed Ricketts to reach third base, both Genter and Boze scored to tie the game up at three. The Eagles took the lead after Ricketts scored from third on a passed ball, going up 4-3.
LMU answered in the bottom half of the frame, tying the game up again after a Boles RBI double scored Bowen from second. Boles would trade places with Kurth after an RBI single allowed the Splitters to retake the lead, going up 5-4.
In the bottom of the fifth, LMU extended their advantage to 6-4, after Harvey scored off of a Goda ground-rule double over the left field wall. The Splitters recorded three ground-rule doubles in the series, scoring off of two of them.
Down to their final three outs, Carson-Newman exploded for six innings in the top of the seventh inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Genter scored on a wild pitch to cut the lead to 6-5. Hanley came up big for the Eagles as his two RBI triple gave C-N the 7-6 lead. Carpenter's RBI single scored Hanley, and Boze wrapped up the inning and the scoring for Carson-Newman with a two RBI single to give the Eagles the 10-6 advantage heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, Noah Pridmore got Wong-Shasteen to fly out right field on a great catch by Henry Jackson and struck out Goda, before getting Bowen to hit into a fielders choice at second, clinching the game for the Eagles and snapping their four-game losing streak.
Pridmore earns the win, moving to 2-1 on the season after going three innings, allowing five hits, one run, and walking a batter and striking out three. David Brian Ellison earns his first loss of the season, falling to 3-1 going two innings, giving up two hits, two runs, walking three and striking out a pair of Eagles.
Carson-Newman opens up a six-game homestand this Tuesday, Mar. 29, as they take on visiting DePauw. Coverage will begin at 1:00 for those who cannot attend with a free video stream courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network.
