YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – Snatching a 5-3 edge at stretch time, Carson-Newman could not hold off one of the top offenses in Division II as a seven-run seventh helped No. 22 Young Harris overpower the Eagles 15-5 Wednesday at Zell B. Miller Field.
"You hate getting 10-run ruled in a midweek game," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "It's an awful feeling. We played well for six innings. Got out of some situations to keep from crooked numbers happening whether it be a defensive play or a pitch being made. The good thing is we got some young people in there. Offensively, despite just five runs, we were trying to create pressure every inning. I felt like the hitters really did that today."
The Mountain Lions have won all eight meetings between the two programs scoring double digits for the fifth time. Over the last four weeks, Carson-Newman (20-18) had allowed a four or more runs in an inning one time with Young Harris (29-11) doing it in back-to-back innings, the first time a C-N foe did so twice in the same game.
With one out in the bottom of the first, Jarrett Ford singled and stole base. After a fly out, Jeremy Begora dribbled a single through the middle of the infield to bring in Ford and put the home crew ahead 1-0.
The Eagles pierced the scoring column in the top of the third getting a walk and a base hit with one out. James Denten (Mt. Prospect, Ill.) dumping a base hit into left center field before Zach Boze (Gallatin, Tenn.) hit a sacrifice fly to put the group on top 2-1.
In the bottom of the third, the Mountain Lions loaded the bases with no outs. A hit batter tied the score at two before a pick-off at third base and lineout double play to second ended the threat.
With one out in the fifth, Denten reached on an error. Following a line out, Boze blooped a ball into right-center field. The ball dropped after a diving effort by the right fielder allowing Denten to touch home and put the visitors in front 3-2.
The first two batters were retired to start the last of the fifth. Begora fell behind 1-2 before cranking his team-leading 12th homer of the year over the fence in left-center field to knot the tally at three.
Denten dug into the batter's box in the top of the seventh inning with a runner aboard. The left-handed hitter pushed a 2-2 pitch down the left-field line for his fifth long ball of the year to give the Eagles their first two-run lead of the day at 5-3.
Young Harris broke out in the bottom of the seventh scoring seven times, tied for the most runs allowed in an inning this year, to take a 10-5 lead. A hit batter and three straight walks made it a one-run game before a passed ball tied the score. Rome Wallace launched a 1-2 pitch over the left-field wall for a three-run blast. James Basham bounced a base hit up the middle to plate two more.
The home club added five more in the eighth including four with two outs with Ethan Underwood capping the attack with a two-run single to left field.
Will Gibbs (Harrisburg, Ill.) and Denten each notched a pair of hits in the game with Denten driving in three runs. Spencer Williams (Seymour, Tenn.) drew three walks.
Ten different Mountain Lions scored at least one run with Begora going 3-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Wallace also drove in three and Marco Colina tallied two RBIs.
The Eagles host their final South Atlantic Conference series of the season hosting No. 15/10 Lenoir-Rhyne for a three-game set starting Friday at 2 p.m. Broadcast coverage airs on FloSports with a paid subscription and on cneagles.com/live for an audio-only stream.
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