Eagles split Saturday doubleheader, win series at Tusculum
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Kolton Casson’s second complete game shutout of the season lifted Carson-Newman (16-12, 8-10 SAC) to a series win after splitting a doubleheader with Tusculum on Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Park.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 2 |
|
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0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | X | 9 | 9 | 5 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 0 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
VIDEO: Kolton Casson Interview
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Kolton Casson's second complete game shutout of the season lifted Carson-Newman (16-12, 8-10 SAC) to a series win after splitting a doubleheader with Tusculum on Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Park.
"You want to win series and on the road it's difficult to do," Carson-Newman head coach Tom Griffin said. "It's hard to win baseball games. Game two was all about Kolton (Casson) and Jacob Rogers. Nice job on their part and the defense was really good. The middle of the infield with Johno (Pierce) and Cole (Nathan) did a really good job. Really solid defense and some timely hits. If you can get Casson a run, you feel pretty good. The young man usually does a good job with that."
Carson-Newman has now won consecutive conference series on the road and has double-digit road wins for the second straight season and for the 13th time under Griffin.
Game One: Tusculum 9, Carson-Newman 6
Carson-Newman jumped in front to start the day. The Eagles took advantage of a TU error and led 1-0 after a Logan Floyd (Adairsville, Ga.) RBI groundout.
Tusculum tied the game in the second thanks to a Jack Gagen RBI single with two outs.
The Eagles jumped right back in front with a two-run third. RBI hits from Floyd and Bradley Soto Diaz (Davenport, Fla.) put the Eagles ahead 3-1 after three innings.
The first of two separate three-run innings gave Tusculum its first lead. The Pioneers scored three fourth-inning runs on two doubles to lead 4-3. Another run scored in the fifth inning to increase their lead to 5-3 after five frames.
The game took another turn in C-N's favor. After a Braxton Smith (Cleveland, Tenn.) leadoff double, Johno Pierce (Knoxville, Tenn.) scored him with a single through the left side to make it a one-run game. After a pair of hit by pitches loaded the bases, Maddox Greene (Deep Gap, N.C.) put the ball in play, forcing a TU error that plated two runs to put Carson-Newman back in the lead after six innings.
Tusculum took advantage of some freebies to jump back ahead in the seventh inning. Two walks and a throwing error loaded the bases with one out. A passed ball scored the tying run, and consecutive base knocks put the Pioneers up two runs after seven innings.
An error brought home TU's ninth run of the contest in the eighth inning.
Carson-Newman would bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth with one out, but was blanked for a third consecutive inning to fall in the first game of the day.
Three different Eagles had multi-hit days, with Floyd leading the team with two RBI.
Harrison Shelton (Clinton, Tenn.) suffered his first loss on the mound, allowing two runs in two innings of work.
Luke Maicon recorded his first win of the year, pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Cooper Emery recorded his third save of the season.
Game Two: Carson-Newman 7, Tusculum 0
Early offense and the right arm of Kolton Casson (Benton, Tenn.) powered C-N to the series win.
One of the most challenging situations of Casson's day came in the opening inning. Two singles and a wild pitch moved runners into scoring position with one out. The right-hander escaped the jam with a strikeout and a fly out to keep things scoreless after one.
That momentum led to an offensive surge over the next two innings. With one out in the top of the second, Cole Nathan (Knoxville, Tenn.) took a 2-0 pitch to straight away center for his third home run of the year to put the Eagles up 1-0. Later in the second, a Tusculum error and a Jacob Rogers (Dandridge, Tenn.) RBI single plated two more runs to cap a three-run second inning.
Three more Carson-Newman runs scored in the third inning. Nathan drove in his second run of the game with a one-out double to increase the lead to 4-0. The next batter was Sebastian Rodriguez and he took Nathan's place at second. The freshman doubled home two runs to balloon C-N's lead to 6-0 after three innings.
During C-N's two-inning barrage offensively, Casson got in a groove and retired seven straight.
The Eagles defense helped Casson pitch a scoreless fourth inning. A walk and a single put runners on first and second for TU, but Gagen bounced into an inning-ending double play to keep shutout intact.
The next half inning defensively was the same situation and the same result. Two singles were followed by another double play, a 4-6-3 turn to keep the C-N lead at 6-0.
Tanner Kilgore (Kingsport, Tenn.) drove in Carson-Newman's final run of the game in the sixth, delivering a pinch-hit sac fly.
For the fourth time in the game, Casson worked around a TU inning in which it got two runners on base with less than two outs. The sophomore got a ground out and fly out to seal his second complete game shutout of the season.
Casson allowed a season-high eight hits, but his defense was strong behind him and turned two double plays. The right-hander struck out three TU hitters with just one walk in an 84-pitch shutout for his sixth win of the year and 19th of his career. He has now tossed 14 consecutive scoreless innings spanning his past three starts.
"The defense was huge today," Casson said. "Johno and Cole made some big double plays. Those double plays are big moment changers to get out of innings. The defense stepped up today."
Five different Eagles recorded multi-hit days in the series finale. Rogers entered the game with three hits for the season, he finished the game with a career-high three hits in four at bats. Nathan and Rodriguez each had two hit performances with two RBI. Soto Diaz and Smith also posted two-hit days.
Owen Canter suffered his fifth loss of the year, allowing six runs to score on seven hits in just 2 1/3 innings on the slab.
Carson-Newman concludes an eight-game road stretch at Shorter on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch with in Rome, Georgia is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
