VIDEO: Spencer Williams Interview
VIDEO: Kolton Casson Interview
NEWBERRY, S.C. – A quality mixture of hitting and pitching lifted Carson-Newman (12-2, 5-1 SAC) to a doubleheader sweep and series win over Newberry (10-5, 3-3 SAC) on Saturday at the Smith Road Complex.
"It was a great series," Carson-Newman head coach Tom Griffin said. "Two really good teams. I have a lot of respect for Jay (Snyder) and that club over there. For our club to lose game one and to comeback on the road, it shows a lot of intestinal fortitude and some resilience."
Carson-Newman's sweep of the doubleheader marks back-to-back series wins to begin conference play and snaps a two-game skid. It's the third straight season C-N has won its first two series to start conference play.
Game One: Carson-Newman 14, Newberry 6
Carson-Newman started the scoring in a big way, posting a six-spot in the second inning. A leadoff walk and a sac bunt put a runner in scoring position. Cole Nathan (Knoxville, Tenn.) poked a single up the middle to plate the run and it was 1-0. Later in the frame with runners at first and third, C-N put on a double steal, with runners advancing home and to second for the second run of the frame. The next four runs of the inning would all come on RBI singles. Spencer Williams (Seymour, Tenn.) and Nicholas Castellana (Lancaster, N.Y) had RBI singles while Tanner Kilgore had a two-RBI single and the Eagles led 6-0 after two innings.
Newberry got a run back in the bottom half on a two-out single.
After a leadoff triple, Kade Faircloth ripped a RBI double to left in the bottom of the fourth inning. A second run scored in the inning, and it was 6-3 Eagles after four complete innings.
C-N's first extra-base hit of game one came from Ryan Bolton (Knoxville, Tenn.), who ripped a pitch down the first base line for a double to start the sixth inning. Williams drove him in from second with two-out RBI single to left to put the Eagles up 7-3.
The Wolves answered with runs in the bottom half. Back-to-back hits started the frame, with the second hit getting by Williams in rightfield, allowing Osborn and Faircloth to both score and it was 7-5 C-N after six innings.
After Newberry scored once in the bottom of the eighth, C-N would answer back with a big ninth inning.
The Eagles loaded the bases with one out, and that's when the offensive burst began. A hit by pitch, single and sac fly plated three runs over the next three hitters and it was 10-6 with two outs. After a walk, Trey Miller (Rocky Point, N.Y) singled back up the middle to plate two more runs. The inning concluded with RBI from Ryan Jenkins (Winter Haven, FL) and Luke Goforth (Blacksburg, Va) to cap a seven-run ninth inning.
Jackson Underwood (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) kept C-N in front for the entire game, even when Newberry got within a run in the seventh inning. The reliever earned his second win, after tossing 4.2 innings allowing two earned runs on five hits.
Miller, Nathan and Williams each had two RBI efforts in the game one win. Williams had a three-hit day to lead the way.
The Eagles offense ran Newberry starting pitcher Hunter French out of the game after 1.1 innings. He allowed six runs on four hits and walked four in the loss.
Game Two: Carson-Newman 3, Newberry 2
Newberry's Jonathan Velez ripped a single through the left side to plate the first run of game two.
Carson-Newman didn't get its first baserunner until there was one out in the third inning, but it took advantage. A hit by pitch and a throwing error advanced runners to first and third. Jenkins tied the game with his line-drive extra base hit to left center field to score Miller. The Eagles had back-to-back strikeouts with runners in scoring position to close the third.
Velez drove in his second run of the game on a groundout in the third to put Newberry back in front.
C-N would answer right back. Julian Hines (Glendora, Ca) walked to begin the frame and was the tying run in the frame. Newberry pitcher Chansen Cole airmailed a throw to get Hines out at third, allowing Hines to sprint home to tie the game. Nathan put C-N in front for the first time in game two with a line drive single to right field and it was 3-2 Eagles in the fourth inning.
Starting pitcher Kolton Casson (Benton, Tenn.) blanked the Wolves in both the fourth and fifth innings to keep C-N ahead. He went 1-2-3 in the fourth and worked his way through the fifth after pitching a leadoff walk.
With the bats cold, Casson continued his stellar start. For the second straight inning, he forced the Wolves to strand a runner in scoring position and helped keep the advantage at one-run heading to the final frame.
Casson would finish what he started. For the third straight inning, he worked with a runner on base but once again kept Newberry off the scoreboard to finish with a complete game in his fourth career start.
In his 108-pitch effort, Casson allowed just two runs on two hits and struck out five. Both hits he allowed were in his first inning of work. He forced the Wolves to go 1-11 at the plate with runners on base.
"That was a great performance," Griffin said. "That's a scrappy group you have to compete against. I thought Frankie (Delgado) called a great game and then Kolton was outstanding."
Nathan and Jenkins each had a RBI in game two with Nathan's being the go-ahead RBI.
Newberry's Cole was just as solid, but it wasn't enough. He went six innings allowing three hits and two earned runs, with eight strikeouts in a losing effort.
Carson-Newman is back in action on Wednesday for a home non-conference game versus Young Harris at 3:00 p.m. The game will air with a video stream available on FloSports with a subscription. There will also be a free audio stream available courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network on cneagles.com/live.
