VIDEO: Tom Griffin Interview

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – For the first time this season, No. 16/9 Carson-Newman (26-9) lost a game in which it was leading after six innings. Alabama Huntsville (15-18) scored five runs in the eighth inning to rally back and win 8-6 on Tuesday afternoon at Charger Park.

"Jaxon Seritt was good in relief," Carson-Newman head coach Tom Griffin said. "He gave us that and we extended him. (Mark) Salicco and (Eli) Norris just had bad days. Five freebies and five runs scored in the eighth inning. They did not do a good job of being in the strike zone and being effective. That's not the whole picture though. We had so many mistakes today, between baserunning, decision-making, and not executing situations. We did not deserve to win this game. Even though we had the lead, we didn't deserve to win the way we played."

Entering the game, C-N was 22-0 when leading after six innings and 15-0 when leading after seven innings but suffered its first loss on Tuesday.

The Eagles were also undefeated when scoring the game's first run, previously being 19-0.

Logan Floyd (Adairsville, Ga.) started the scoring for Carson-Newman in the top of the first inning. He launched the first pitch of his bat over the left field wall for his third home run of the year to give C-N an early two-run lead.

UAH was scoreless in the first two innings, stranding four runners but finally broke through in the third inning. Brock Butler hit a towering two-run home run to straight away center field to tie the game at 2.

The Eagles would answer back in the top of the fourth inning. A throwing error sparked the inning and Cole Nathan delivered with two outs. His single to center field plated a run to put C-N back in front.

UAH's Butler tied the game again in the fifth inning. On the first pitch of the inning, he hit his second home run of the game and it was a 3-3 game after five innings.

Carson-Newman would answer right back to regain the lead in the sixth inning. Another UAH throwing error helped start the inning and Nathan again delivered with a two-out RBI hit to make it 4-3. Two batters later, the lead extended to three runs. Ryan Jenkins (Winter Haven, Fla.) singled on a 2-2 pitch to drive in two runs.

After UAH's home run, Blake Cooper (Maryville, Tenn.) and Jaxon Seritt (Knoxville, Tenn.) combined to send down nine consecutive Charger batters through the fifth and seventh innings.

Carson-Newman's half of the eighth inning looked promising but turned out to be the exact opposite. Seth Benner (Morganton, In.) singled to begin the inning, but was thrown out at third base after a Aiden Gibson (Cleveland, Tenn.). C-N stranded two runners in the inning and didn't score in a three-hit inning.

The bottom of the eighth inning is when things unraveled on Carson-Newman. A walk, single, walk loaded the bases for UAH with nobody out. The Chargers first two runs of the inning scored on a hit by pitch and a walk and it was 6-5 with still nobody out. A passed ball tied the game at six. UAH took the lead on its second hit of the inning, a two-run single down the right field line to cap the five-run eighth inning. Carson-Newman walked four batters and hit another.

The top of the ninth had some suspense. With two outs and a runner at first, Nicholas Castellana (Lancaster, NY) hit a high fly ball down the left field line that just hooked inside the foul pole. Five more feet to the right and the game would've been tied.

Benner's first career three-hit day paced Carson-Newman's ten hit day as a team. Floyd, Jenkins, and Nathan each drove in two runs in the losing effort.

Mark Salicco (Waxhaw, N.C.) suffered his second loss of the season, facing just two batters allowing two runs to score.

UAH used nine pitchers in the game with Jaxon Hay winning his first game of the year with a scoreless eighth inning. Cory Hagood faced four batters to record his fourth save.

Carson-Newman continues a five-game road stretch this weekend as it heads to Hartsville, South Carolina for a three-game South Atlantic Conference series with Coker. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. The game will air with a free audio stream available courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network on cneagles.com/live.