Eagles Fall Twice to Wingate
April 18, 2009
Game 1 Final Stats
Game 2 Final Stats
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. -- The Carson-Newman baseball team dropped a pair of games to Wingate in South Atlantic Conference action Saturday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex. The Eagles lost the first game 12-8 before falling 6-3 in game two.
With the losses, the Eagles were officially eliminated from contention for a spot in the upcoming SAC tournament. C-N falls to 24-21 overall and 7-14 in the SAC, while the Bulldogs improve to 23-26 and 11-11 in conference play.
In the first game, the Eagles jumped out to an 8-3 lead, but Wingate scored the next nine runs en route to a 12-8 victory.
One of the major differences in the game was fielding. C-N committed five errors, while the Bulldogs were flawless in the field.
The Eagles pounded out 14 hits, including three home runs. Corey Lamson (Gray, Tenn.) went 3-for-5, including a home run, to lead the way. Evan Patterson (Knoxville, Tenn.), Aaron Vargas (Oak Ridge, Tenn.), Wesley Dozier (Cornelius, N.C.) and Derek Long (Jefferson City, Tenn.) had two hits each, while Mills Rogers (Simpsonville, S.C.) and Tyler Wynn (LaGrange, Ga.) each had a home run.
Wingate tallied 12 hits, including two each from Casey Allison (Horse Shoe, N.C.), Mark Letchworth (Greenville, N.C.) and Aaron Knowles (Hope Town, Bahamas). Letchworth had five RBIs, with four coming on a grand slam, which was his 17th homer of the season. Kevin Childs (Anderson, S.C.) also had a home run.
Bulldogs reliever Dusty White (Charlotte, N.C.) (4-4) earned the win after tossing five scoreless innings. White allowed five hits and struck out five batters.
C-N relief pitcher D.J. Ferguson (Jupiter, Fla.) (1-1) was tagged with the loss after surrendering two runs on two hits in one inning of work.
Wingate grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, as Allison ripped a double to right center and later scored on a Letchworth groundout.
Childs pushed the Bulldogs' lead to 2-0 in the top of the second as he led off the inning with a solo blast to center field.
The Eagles quickly got back into the game in the home half of the second with back-to-back home runs. After showing bunt on the first pitch, Lamson crushed the second pitch over the center-field wall. Wynn followed by sending a towering solo shot to left field to tie the game at 2-2.
The Bulldogs regained the lead at 3-2 in the top of the third on a run-scoring single by Heath Weatherford (Rockingham, N.C.), but C-N responded in the bottom of the inning with a four-run outburst to take a 6-3 lead.
Patterson led off the third with a triple and later scored on a double by Vargas down the right-field line. Vargas then advanced to third on a balk, and Dozier singled to left field, driving in Vargas to give the Eagles a 4-3 advantage. Rogers then crushed a two-run home run to left field just inside the foul pole to push C-N's lead to 6-3.
C-N added a pair of runs to its lead in the bottom of the fourth. Patterson produced a two-out single to get things started and plated on a Vargas single to right center. Long then executed a hit and run as he singled to left center, scoring Vargas from second to give the Eagles an 8-3 cushion.
However, Wingate battled back to tie the game in the top of the seventh with a seven-run rally, as the first five batters reached base. Chris Vazquez (Tyrone, Ga.) led off the inning with a single and later scored on a Blair Troutman (Concord, N.C.) double. The Bulldogs then loaded the bases, setting the stage for Letchworth. The senior right fielder crushed a grand slam to right-center to tie the game at 8-8.
The Bulldogs pushed its lead to 11-8 with three more runs in the top of the eighth. Vazquez and Allison reached base via back-to-back C-N errors, and Dodson McPherson (Graham, N.C.) scored on the second error. Jacob Karr (Richmond, Va.) then lined a double down the left-field line, driving home both Vazquez and Allison.
Wingate added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a RBI single by Allison.
In the second contest, Knowles' solo shot in the top of the fifth inning proved to be the decisive run, as Wingate went on to win 6-3.
Rory Elliott (Jefferson City, Tenn.) led C-N's six-hit attack with a 2-for-4 effort.
The Bulldogs tallied seven hits, including a 2-for-2 performance from Knowles.
Eagles reliever Dustin Davis (Knoxville, Tenn.) (0-1) picked up the loss after giving up one run on one hit in one inning on the mound.
Cale Rogers (Snow Camp, N.C.) (3-3) earned the win after pitching two no-hit innings.
The Bulldogs started game two the same as it did in the first game, scoring a run in the top of the first inning. Allison led off the inning with a double and later crossed home plate on a Letchworth sacrifice fly to left field.
C-N tied the game at 1-1 in the home half of the first, as Patterson scored on an error.
Letchworth smashed a two-run shot to center field in the top of the third to give Wingate a 3-1 lead, but the Eagles scored a pair of runs in the home half of the inning to tie the game at 3-3 on a RBI double by Elliott and a run-scoring single by Morgan Gregory (Nashville, Tenn.).
Knowles gave Wingate the lead for good at 4-3 in the fifth as he sent a solo home run over the left-field wall.
