Eagles' 2007 Season Ends With 6-4 Loss
May 18, 2007
TAMPA, Fla.-- The NCAA Championship run came to an end for the 2007 Carson-Newman Eagles after falling 6-4 to top-ranked and top-seeded Tampa, 6-4 in the NCAA Division II South Regional Friday afternoon.
The Eagles (36-20) gave the Spartans all they could handle and drew first blood after Nick Achberger's sacrifice fly scored Langdon Potts for a 1-0 Eagle lead. However, the Spartans rallied for four runs in the bottom of the inning when Jose Jimenez cracked a three-run homerun off C-N starter Cole Draughn (6-2) for a 4-1 Tampa advantage.
Carson-Newman would cut the deficit in the third inning, After Brandon Burchfield and Potts hit back-to-back singles, Jason Gray walked and Tyler Wynn was hit by a Scott Chapman pitch to drive in Burchfield to put the Eagles within two runs at 4-2. Tampa added their fifth run on a solo homerun by Craig Carrado for a 5-2 Spartan lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.
In the seventh, the Eagles rallied for two runs. Potts walked and Nick Achberger reached second on a throwing error by Jimenez to put Potts at third with no outs. An RBI groundout by Adam Kefauver plated Potts to put C-N within two runs again at 5-3. Jason Gray hit a seeing-eye single to score Achberger to put the Eagles in striking distance at 5-4.
Tampa struck back in the top of the eighth inning on a pinch-hit solo homer by Charlie Raley. Spartan reliever Jonathan Holt notched his 18th save by retiring eight of the last 10 Eagle batters. Kefauver hit a one-out double in the ninth, but Holt was able to strike out Gray and force Jim Doran into a game-ending groundout.
Steve Cishek pitched 3 2/3 innings in relief of Draughn, giving up one earned run and striking out four. Senior Mark Caroll gave up just two hits, one earned run, and struck out one in his final appearance for Carson-Newman.
