Eagles Rely on Long Ball to Sweep Tiffin, 17-15 and 13-3
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Senior Jeff Lockwood (Knoxville, Tenn.) delivered three of Carson-Newman’s seven home runs to help the Eagles sweep Tiffin on Saturday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Senior Jeff Lockwood (Knoxville,
Tenn.) delivered three of Carson-Newman’s seven home runs to
help the Eagles sweep Tiffin on Saturday afternoon at the Silver
Diamond Baseball Complex.
C-N held off a late Dragons rally to win the first game, 17-15,
before cruising to a 13-3 victory in the nightcap.
With the sweep, the Eagles improve to 9-6 on the season, while
Tiffin falls to 3-9 overall.
C-N had a productive day at the plate as it produced 31 hits and
pushed its season home run total to 29 through 15 games after
hitting 23 home runs all of last season.
In the first game, Lockwood and junior designated hitter Jon Dalton
(Rutledge, Tenn.) powered C-N to a 17-15 victory.
Lockwood belted a pair of home runs and had four RBIs, while Dalton
went 3-for-4 with two homers, including a grand slam, and six RBIs.
Lockwood’s three home runs on the day gives him nine on the
season.
Senior Corey Lamson (Gray, Tenn.) added three hits, including a
double, and senior first baseman Derek Long (Jefferson City, Tenn.)
contributed a pair of hits with a double and two RBIs for C-N.
Left fielder Jason Bailey (North Lewisburg, Ohio) went 5-for-6 to
lead the Dragons in the loss, while Ty Blake (Newark, Ohio) went
3-for-5 and drove in four runs.
C-N reliever D.J. Ferguson (Jupiter, Fla.) worked 2 1/3 innings to
earn the win. Ferguson (2-1) surrendered two runs on one hit and
struck out two batters.
Tiffin starting hurler Donnie Smith (Johnstown, Ohio) (0-4) was
tagged with the loss after giving up eight runs (four earned) and
four hits in 3 2/3 innings on the mound. He also had five walks and
five strikeouts.
The Eagles jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, as a
two-run single by Derek Long sparked the outburst.
Tiffin responded to tie the game with four runs in the second, but
C-N doubled up the Dragons with four more runs in the bottom of the
third inning.
Lockwood crushed a solo home run to center field to get things
started. Lamson and Dalton also added RBI doubles in the inning to
help the Eagles build an 8-4 lead.
Blake delivered a two-run single in the fourth to pull Tiffin to
within 8-6.
However, the Eagles exploded for seven runs in the fifth inning,
highlighted by Dalton’s grand slam to push their lead to
15-6.
C-N entered the top of the ninth inning with a 17-11 lead, but
Tiffin rallied for four runs in the inning to put pressure on the
Eagles. Junior reliever Chase Boruff (Knoxville, Tenn.) then sealed
the win and earned his first save by allowing one hit and striking
out one batter in an inning of work.
In the second game, the Eagles pounded out a season-high 18 hits en
route to a 13-3 victory.
Long went 4-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs to lead C-N at the
plate, while Lamson collected three hits, including a home run.
Lockwood and sophomore Zach Long (Jefferson City, Tenn.) each hit a
home run in the win and finished with two hits apiece. Junior Evan
Patterson (Knoxville, Tenn.) also tallied two hits.
Bailey collected two hits and drove in all three runs for the
Dragons.
The Eagles received another solid outing from starting hurler Cy
Fraker (Indianapolis, Ind.). The junior right-hander scattered four
hits and gave up one run in six innings of work to move to 3-0 on
the season.
Tiffin starting pitcher Kyle Blackford (Franklin, Ohio) gave up
five runs and 10 hits in four innings on the mound to pick up the
loss.
Bailey produced an RBI single in the third inning to give Tiffin a
1-0 lead, but Patterson delivered a run-scoring single for the
Eagles in the home half of the third to tie the contest at one
apiece.
C-N then pushed across four more runs in the fourth inning with
four hits, including a two-run single by Dalton, to take the lead
for good.
The Eagles and Dragons will conclude the series on Sunday with a
single game beginning at noon at the Silver Diamond Baseball
Complex.
