No. 17 Carson-Newman Ends Regular Season with Doubleheader Split
Carson-Newman put a cap on the regular season, clinching a series win against Mars Hill in a doubleheader split.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 16 | 2 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 3 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | X | 13 | 14 | 1 |
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman put a cap on the regular season, clinching a series win against Mars Hill in a doubleheader split.
No. 17 Carson-Newman (35-15, 21-9 South Atlantic Conference) clinched at least a three-seed at the SAC Tournament with a doubleheader split against Mars Hill (14-36, 7-23 SAC) on Saturday afternoon on Senior Day.
16 seniors were honored in a ceremony prior to game one of the doubleheader, and all of the honorees who were healthy played in at least one of the two games played against the Lions.
"There were 16 guys we were able to honor, who have sacrificed and done a lot for this program and university," Carson-Newman baseball head coach Tom Griffin said. "The way they have represented their families, they way they have represented the alumni of the baseball program, the way they have represented their maker, they way they represented this university has been tremendous."
Game One: Mars Hill 9, Carson-Newman 3
The pace was set in the top of the first inning when the second batter of the game for the Lions, Walker Fox, launched a solo home run over the centerfield wall to take a 1-0 lead.
Mars Hill would add a run in both the fourth and fifth innings with a RBI single from Dawson Anderson in the fourth and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Carter Potts in the fifth.
The Eagles had opportunities to score throughout the game but left 13 runners on base, including back-to-back innings in the second and third, leaving the bases loaded.
Mars Hill would break the game open in the eighth, putting up a crooked number with six runs off three hits, taking advantage of three Carson-Newman errors. Mars Hill was highlighted by a three-RBI double from Chapel Matson as the Lions picked up a 9-0 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.
A large part of the Eagles' offensive struggles was MHU starting pitcher Dylan Vega. The graduate student in his final collegiate baseball game tossed a complete game throwing all nine innings through 147 pitches. Of the ten hits he allowed to the Eagles, five were in the ninth inning when C-N staged a miniature comeback attempt while Vega put the finishing touches on his quality start.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Eagles went to the depth chart, and it seemed to work. Pinch-hitter turned left fielder Ryan Bolton (Knoxville, Tenn.) launching a two-run home run over the left field wall, and substitutions Kylan Hornbuckle (Boaz, Ala.) and Luke Goforth (Blacksburg, Va.) each picked up base hits. An RBI groundout scored Hornbuckle to give the Eagles their third and final run of the game.
Carson-Newman used nine pitchers in the losing effort, with starting pitcher Jackson Underwood (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) taking the loss despite only allowing one run in three innings.
Game Two: Carson-Newman 13, Mars Hill 1
Kolton Casson (Benton, Tenn.) kept doing Kolton Casson things tossing six innings allowing just one run and three hits to the Lions in another quality start as the freshman picked up his 12th win of the regular season, finishing the schedule 12-1.
Carson-Newman got its first run of the game in the third after Frankie Delgado (Deltona, Fla.) doubled, being driven in by Ryan Jenkins (Winter Haven, Fla.) when he doubled himself down the left field line.
Mars Hill would tie the game in the fifth when Peyton Starkey scored from third when Jackson Jones reached on an error.
The tied score would not last long as the Eagles took flight in the sixth. In their best offensive inning of the season, the Eagles put up a 12-spot in the sixth inning, batting around with ten hits, none of which were home runs.
Ryan Bolton collected two hits in the inning, capped by a bases-clearing three-RBI double to help the left fielder earn Food City Player of the Game honors, going 3-for-4 with five RBI, with all five coming in the sixth.
"It was kind of a happy accident," Bolton said. "I just try to hit line drives and ground balls, and I got under it a little bit on accident. It was nice, though, it felt good."
Seven different Eagles found the hit column in the eighth inning, and the 12 runs in the frame were the most runs scored in an inning in over a decade since scoring 12 in the fourth inning against Winston-Salem State in April of 2015.
Carson-Newman ends the season at 35-15 with a 21-9 mark in South Atlantic Conference play. C-N awaits its fate for the first round of the SAC Baseball Tournament as it still has a chance to host as a top two seed in the tournament, although it is unlikely.
By winning two of the three games against Mars Hill this weekend, Carson-Newman would need the team currently in second place in the standings, Lenoir-Rhyne, to lose its series against Anderson. As of Sunday morning, with a doubleheader to play Anderson would need to sweep the doubleheader for Carson-Newman to get the opportunity to host. Should Lenoir-Rhyne emerge victorious in either half of Sunday's doubleheader, the Eagles would travel to Hickory to play in the pod hosted by the Bears.
To keep up to date with Carson-Newman baseball and keep track of the Eagles' postseason aspirations, follow us on social media @CN_Eagles on X and Instagram or Facebook at Carson-Newman Athletics. You can also log online at cneagles.com for team schedules, rosters, news, and more.
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