JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - In game one of Carson-Newman baseball's annual Navy versus Orange World Series, it was Navy rallying from a four-run deficit early, to seal a 7-6 win on Friday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
Team Orange jumped out to a hot start in the top of the first inning. Logan Floyd (Adairsville, Ga.) drove in a pair of runs with a double to left scoring Spencer Williams (Seymour, Tenn) and Aiden Gibson (Cleveland, Tenn.) and Orange led 2-0 after the opening inning.
The Orange squad added to their lead in the second inning. After a hits from Trace Alexander (Douglasville, Ga.) and Evan Mutter (Bristol, Tenn), Gibson drove them in with a two-run triple to make it 4-0 after an inning and a half.
Navy exploded for three runs in the bottom half of the second. Colby Abbott (Louisville, Tenn.) started the scoring with a RBI single to score Braxton Smith. Navy's next two runs in the frame came off a fielding error and a groundout and it was a 4-3 Orange lead after two frames.
Kolton Casson pitched the game's first 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half of the third to keep the Orange team after three innings. Casson started the game and tossed three innings allowing just two earned runs.
Orange extended its lead in the top of the fifth inning. Wade Carruthers (Phoenixville, PA) launched a one-out home run over the left field wall to make the score 5-3 after five innings.
Braxton Smith ( Cleveland, Tenn) helped ignite Navy's offense again in the bottom of the sixth inning. After his base hit, Jameson Van Ness (Knoxville, Tenn) drove him in with a RBI single to bring Navy within a run. Abbott followed in nicely with his second RBI base hit of the afternoon, a double to tie the game at 5. Ryan Jenkins (Winter Haven, FL) capped the four-run sixth inning with a two-RBI single to score Van Ness and Abbott to give Navy its first lead. Van Ness, Abbott and Jenkins' hits came consecutively.
Orange made it interesting in the ninth inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, a wild pitch scored a run to make it 7-6. But Navy's closer Eli Norris (Ringgold, Ga.) regrouped and slammed the door, getting the final out of the game to earn the save and help Team Navy seal the game one win.
Kolton Glick (Knoxville, Tenn.) got the win in relief, tossing two innings allowing just one hit, while striking out two.
Abbott led Navy offensively, going 2-2 with two RBI along with a walk and a sacrifice bunt.
Gibson paced the Orange squad offensively, with three hits and finished a home run shy of the cycle.
As a team, Navy scored seven runs on eight hits. Orange team managed to score six runs on ten hits, stranding nine runners on base.
Game two of the Fall World Series is Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Fans can listen to the action on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live.
