JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Lee scored at least two runs in five innings as Carson-Newman allowed a season-high for runs falling 14-5 on Tuesday at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
"This is one of those things you want to forget as quickly as possible," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "We had a good little run going there and you aren't going to win all games. What you want to do is have great attitude and great effort. Overall we did not have that today. They bullied us. It starts behind the dish. All of a sudden there goes the crooked numbers because of the unforced errors."
Carson-Newman (12-12) saw its season-long six-game winning streak snapped while Lee (14-10) takes the edge in the all-time series at 14-13.
With two outs and no one on for Mitchell Balint (Avondale, Pa.) in the bottom of the first, the right-handed hitter launched a 1-0 offering to straightaway center field to put the Eagles ahead 1-0. It was the sixth home run by the Orange and Blue on a 1-0 count this year.
Lee produced an immediate response with Isaac Quinones bouncing a ball just inside of the third-base bag to plate a pair putting the Eagles behind 2-1.
Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom of the second. Aiden Gibson (Cleveland, Tenn.) smacked a single into center field to plate a pair and Trey Miller (Rocky Point, N.Y.) grounded out to give the Eagles the lead back at 4-2.
The Flames sent eight men to the plate in the top of the third inning scoring three times to go back ahead at 5-4. Each of the first five batters reached safely with Josiah Miller drawing a bases loaded walk and Brandon Daniels ripping a single to right field to change the lead.
In the top of the fourth inning, Cam Suto cranked a 2-1 offering with two outs and a man on base to center field for his fifth homer of the year to push the lead out to 7-4.
Scoring four times in the top of the sixth, the Flames pushed the margin out to seven runs at 11-4. A failed pick-off attempt and an RBI double from Josiah Miller started the scoring. JJ Williams posted his third hit of the year launching a two-run homer to left field.
After the Eagles got a run back on an RBI single from Miller in the sixth, Williams hit his second homer of the game underneath the scoreboard in right field swelling the bulge to 14-5.
The Eagles tallied six total hits in the game while the Flames went 7-for-18 with runners in scoring position and had 10 hits with runners on base for the game. It overshadowed a pitching performance that saw C-N hurlers fan 17, the second-most of the year.
Gibson went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, Balint posted a pair of knocks and Miller drove in a pair as every regular in the lineup reached base at least once for the Orange and Blue.
Lee's bullpen allowed on unearned run over eight innings giving up four hits and striking out nine batters. Three players tallied a multi-hit games with Standifer going 3-for-6 with three runs scored while Williams went 2-for-2 with five RBIs.
The Eagles hit the road for six of the next seven game starting with a three-game series at Limestone in South Atlantic Conference action. Broadcast coverage will air on cneagles.com/live with an audio stream available from the Eagle Sports Network.
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