Bats bust outs as Eagles split with No. 9 Wolves
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman’s bats exploded in the final game of a three-game set with ninth-ranked Newberry winning 13-6 after falling 10-5 in the middle game over a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader Saturday at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 13 | 1 |
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1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 3 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 1 |
|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | X | 13 | 13 | 1 |
VIDEO: Ethan Goforth Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman's bats exploded in the final game of a three-game set with ninth-ranked Newberry winning 13-6 after falling 10-5 in the middle game over a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader Saturday at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
"That's a good club," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "They are where they're at because of Russell Triplett's leadership and how they play game. For us to win that game after losing two, I am proud of our guys and our staff for the way that they handled that."
Overall in the series, the Eagles produced a higher batting average and on-base percentage than one of the top offenses in the nation while edging out the Wolves 21-20 in the run column for the series.
Tyler Thompson (Gallatin, Tenn.) continued his scolding hitting with seven hits and a .538 average over the series with Ethan Goforth (Blacksburg, Va.) going 6-for-12 with two dingers and four RBIs. He hit two lead-off home runs over the three games.
"I am trying to set the tone for my team," Gofofth said. "The plan is to hit the ball up the middle and try to hit fastballs. Stick with that plan and whatever happens from there happens. We try to never let up whether it's 10-0 or 0-0. We are always playing full bore and that's our game. We knew that they are good program. We played our game until the end."
This weekend was the first time that Newberry (33-9, 16-2) entered as a nationally ranked team winning a series for the first time in Jefferson City since 2003. Carson-Newman (23-17, 6-11) continues to hold the series lead on its home field 30-7. Over the last six years, the Eagles are 5-6 against top 10 clubs.
Game One – No. 9 NEWBERRY 10, Carson-Newman 5
Errors continued to play a big role heading into game two of the series as two C-N errors in the top of the first inning benefited Newberry who came through with two-out clutch hits from Colin Allman and Luke Orr.
A pair of throwing errors from Goforth and Ryan Victory (Brentwood, Tenn.) led to a two-out single from Allman, followed by a two-run shot to center field from Orr for his first dinger of 2019. Orr collected three RBIs on the day.
C-N grabbed a run back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI groundout from Michael Wroth (Chicopee, Mass.) scoring Goforth who led off the day with a walk.
The third error of the day and the second from Victory in the third inning helped put more runners on board for the Wolves who worked a total of four walks and a hit batsman in the inning. Nick Butler sent a two-run single to right to put Newberry up 6-1 through three.
VIctory (1-1) had his day come to an end after two innings in which he allowed six runs, five of which were earned on three hits. He struck out just one. Logan Cogburn went five and a third in relief with Hunter Long closing out the final two and two-thirds. The C-N pitching staff walked a total of seven batters and additionally hit two Wolves throughout the afternoon.
Griffin's club scored three unanswered making it an 8-5 game after seven following RBIs from Wroth and John Sharpe in the fifth and an RBI-single from Jordan Griffin in the seventh.
The Wolves were able to strike back in the top of the eighth on a two bagger from Butler that scored his third and fourth RBIs of the day.
Russell Triplett's group took advantage of C-N miscues for the second-straight day and used timely hitting with runners in scoring position going 5-for-16. The Eagles, however, moved to 2-for-15 from the plate in the same category,
Tomas Sorcia, Jr. (5-0) earned the 13th-straight South Atlantic Conference victory for the Wolves with a five-inning, six-hit performance. Tyler Fuhr pitched the final four innings of the day for his first save of the year allowing five hits and just one earned run. The win for Newberry also marked its first series victory in Jefferson City since 2003.
Game Two – CARSON-NEWMAN 13, No. 9 Newberry 6
C-N pounded Newberry starter Josh Bookbinder for the most earned runs of his season with six through the first three innings, three of which came off the bat of Goforth. The catcher hit his second lead-off home run of the weekend on the first pitch he saw with a shot to left field to open the scoring.
After getting a pair home in the second, Micah Genter (Jasper, Tenn.) continued the roll with a RBI-single to left to score Brendan Campbell in the second. Goforth followed it up with a single down the right field line scoring Jordan Griffin as an error by Newberry allowed Silva to scurry home a moment later and expand the margin to six after three.
Newberry struck back for five unanswered runs which included a four-run fifth all with two outs on the board to get the visitors within a run going to the bottom of the fifth at 6-5.
Griffin's crew responded with an RBI double down the left-field line by Thompson with two outs. After a walk, John Sharpe (Franklin, Tenn.) split the alley in left-center field clearing the bases with a double swelling the bulge back to five at 10-5.
Bookbinder's day ended after four and two-thirds innings allowing 11 hits and 10 runs, nine of which were earned. He also walked six.
Newberry tacked on a run in the top of the sixth but the Eagles once again produced a two-out piece of hitting with Thompson clearing the bags with a double to left-center field. The Eagles went 4-for-10 with two outs and 7-for-15 with runners in scoring position.
Matt Bradley (Talbott, Tenn.) tossed the first complete game of the season by a C-N hurler logging 107 tosses yielding six runs on eight hits and a walk while punching out five batters.
Goforth finished 3-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Thompson drove in four runs going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Campbell and Genter added a pair of knocks.
Hyman led the Wolves charge going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored as each of the top six provided at least one knock on the day.
The Eagles host Limestone Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m. looking to take four out of five on the season after winning three of four during the open weekend of the year.
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