Eagles off to 3-0 start in SAC after sweep of Anderson

ANDERSON, S.C. – The Carson-Newman Eagles pounded out 24 hits over two games to sweep a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader at Anderson University on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles won the opener, 9-3, before winning Game 2, 7-5, in eight innings.

The two wins completes a series sweep for the Eagles in their first SAC series of 2012. C-N improves to 6-5 on the year and to 3-0 in SAC play.

Game 1 - Carson-Newman 9, Anderson 3

The Eagles used a four-run second inning to pull away early and clinch a series win in the opener of the doubleheader. C-N built a 7-0 in the fifth inning and was never threatened.

Shortstop Troy Zawadzki had a bases-loaded double as part of a four-run second inning as C-N took a big, early lead. Zawadzki roped a line drive into the gap in right-center field to score Trace Rogers, Lance Rorex, and Lance Reed, who had four hits in Friday's win.

Reed reached on a one-out walk, while Rogers and Rorex both had singles to get the Eagle offense rolling.

Freshman Bo Ausmus followed with a double down the left-field line to plate Zawadzki for the final run of the inning.

Zawadzki added to the Eagle lead in the fourth with an RBI single, again to the right side, scoring Rorex for the second time in the game.

C-N starter Chris Armstrong (WP, 1-1) was rock-solid in pitching with a lead. He struck out eight and scattered seven hits in seven innings to pick up his first win of the season.

Eagle first baseman Kyle Koeneman added to the C-N lead with a solo home run to lead off the fifth. The senior ripped his third home run in four games over the centerfield fence to build the lead to 6-0. He now has four home runs on the season.

Zawadzki added to his four-hit, six RBI game with a two-run single in the ninth as the Eagles added insurance runs. He finished 4-for-5 with six RBIs and a run score.

Rorex was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Koeneman and Rogers each had two hits as C-N notched its season high in hits with 14.

Anderson sophomore Shawn Delmontagne was 2-for-4 with a fifth-inning home run and two RBI for Anderson, while senior Brett Scarberry and sophomore Paul Como each added a pair of hits in four trips to the plate, with Como scoring twice. Senior third baseman Blake May was also 2-for-4 with a pair of singles. 

AU freshman Landon Beck (0-3) absorbed the loss for AU, allowing seven earned runs, while striking out five and walking three in five innings.

Game 2 - Carson-Newman 7, Anderson 5 (8 innings)

Carson-Newman freshman Bo Ausmus became the third Eagle in as many weekend gamees to have four hits and Lucas Mohon threw out the go-ahead run at the plate in the sixth inning as the Eagles finished the series sweep.

C-N picked up a 7-5 win in eight innings of the seven-inning SAC contest.

Carson-Newman was outhit, 14-13, in the back-and-forth contest.

The Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning when freshman Phillip Duncan and Rogers led the frame off with back-to-back hits. Duncan doubled to left field and later scored on a Zawadzki RBI-ground out.

Ausmus delivered a two-out, two-run double to left, giving C-N an early edge.

C-N would add only an unearned run over the next four innings before the late inning drama.

Anderson would rally to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth, 4-4, taking advantage of a C-N error to keep the rally alive.

C-N right fielder Lucas Mohon spoiled a would-be sacrifice fly from Anderson's Blake May, throwing the Trojans' Ben Pendleton out at home with two outs in the sixth to keep the game tied.

The Eagles regained a brief one-run lead in the seventh on a squeeze from Duncan to score Ausmus, but Anderson answered once again in the bottom of the frame, as Sanderson led off the inning with a single past the shortstop and moved into scoring position freshman Kyle Bailey's sacrifice bunt. With one out, he went to third as Delmomtagne bounce out to second and Sanderson evened the score when Tony Price beat out an infield single that the C-N shortstop was unable to gather in. Padro followed with a walk, but AU was unable to push across the winning run.         

Zawadzki and Rorex went to work in the eighth as the Eagles reclaimed a two-run lead. The duo continued to torture Anderson, leading off with singles back-to-back singles to set the tables for the top of the order.

Ausmus delivered with a bases-loaded single to plate the go ahead run and give the Eagles a 6-5 lead. Koeneman followed with a sacrifice fly to score Zach Long with the final run of the game.

Koeneman (WP, 1-0) came on to pick up the win in the eighth, allowing only a one-out single.

Anderson sophomore Zach Reeves finished the game 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, while shortstop Thomas Padro recorded a pair of singles and a walk and crossed the plate once. Anderson junior Tony Price was 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI, while freshman Brett Cash added two singles in four trips to the plate. 

Ausmus finished with four hits and three RBIs, while Long reached base four times.

Starter Ryan Fillers allowed an earned run in five innings while striking out three.

Carson-Newman returns to action on Tuesday against King College in its 2012 home opener. First pitch is at 2 p.m. at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.

-C-N-