Brian Forbes
Junior Brian Forbes was impressive in his Limestone debut, going 4-for-8 with two doubles, a triple and two RBIs in a doubleheader.
11
Winner Carson-Newman C-N 1-0
6
Limestone LC 0-1
Winner
Carson-Newman C-N
1-0
11
Final
6
Limestone LC
0-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Carson-Newman C-N 0 5 1 0 0 1 3 1 0 11 9 0
Limestone LC 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 6 13 2

W: Hunter Long (1-0) L: Johnson, Marcus (0-1)

9
Winner Carson-Newman C-N 2-0
4
Limestone LC 0-2
Winner
Carson-Newman C-N
2-0
9
Final
4
Limestone LC
0-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Carson-Newman C-N 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 5 9 10 1
Limestone LC 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 6 1

W: Tyler Shaver (1-0) L: Huber, Benjamin (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Ernest Meyers, Assistant A.D. for Media Relations

Limestone Drops a Pair to Carson-Newman on Opening Day

GAFFNEY, S.C. – The Limestone College baseball team dropped the first game of a season-opening doubleheader, 11-6, but looked like it might take the nightcap until Carson-Newman University rallied late to complete an opening-day sweep with a 9-4 extra-inning win on Saturday at Founders FCU Stadium.
 
GAME 1 INFORMATION
Score: Carson-Newman 11, Limestone 6
Records: Carson-Newman (1-0), Limestone (0-1)
Location: Founders FCU Stadium
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 
  • Junior outfielder Brian Forbes (Rocky Point, N.Y.) went 3-for-5 with a double, triple and an RBI
  • Junior Vance Deese (Norwood, N.C.) homered and scored three runs in the first game
  • Sophomore Benjamin Huber (Pendleton, S.C.) finished with a hit and two RBIs
  • Junior Kyle Strovink (Rocky Point, N.Y.) added two base knocks and an RBI
  • Sophomore Bryce Stavitski (Gaffney, S.C.) chipped in an RBI hit and a pair of walks
  • Senior starter Marcus Johnson (Lexington, Ky.) took the loss, giving up six runs – three earned – on three hits and four walks over four innings of work
  • Limestone outhit the Eagles, 13-9, but Carson-Newman took full advantage of six walks issued
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Following a 1-2-3 top of the first to start the year, senior Trace Whetsell (Gilbert, S.C.) sent a leadoff single back up the middle for the Saints in the bottom half. Two batters later, Forbes gave Limestone its first lead of the 2020 campaign with an RBI groundout before Huber made it a 2-0 game with a sac fly.
 
The lead was short-lived, however, as the Eagles busted through with five runs in the second despite only posting just a pair of hits. Carson-Newman scored a single run in the third to make it a 6-2 contest, but Limestone would cut the lead in half with a line-drive homerun from Deese in the home half of the frame.
 
A leadoff single by junior Michael Roberts (Mount Airy, N.C.) in the bottom of the fourth came around to score on a RBI knock by Stavitski before the Saints closed the margin to 6-5 on a sac fly by Strovink in the fifth. However, the Eagles would double up the Saints, 10-5, with four runs over the next two innings.
 
Trailing 11-5 heading into the final at-bat for the Blue and Gold, Forbes legged out a one-out triple into the leftfield gap before scoring on another sacrifice fly by Huber. Strovink would follow up with a two-out single to right-center, but the Saints would fall to the Eagles in the 2020 season opener by a final of 11-6.
 
GAME 2 INFORMATION
Score: Carson-Newman 9, Limestone 4
Records: Carson-Newman (2-0), Limestone (0-2)
Location: Founders FCU Stadium
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 
  • Whetsell led the Saints in the nightcap by going 2-for-4 with an RBI
  • Forbes added an RBI double and a pair of walks
  • Strovink and Deese also recorded base knocks for the Saints
  • Junior Ethan Danley (Mount Airy, N.C.) doubled and scored a run
  • Freshman starter Anthony Alejandro (Rock Hill, S.C.) was solid in his first outing, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks over five innings, but would take a no-decision
  • Senior Michael Sholtis (Greer, S.C.) struck out five over three innings, but gave up the tying run
  • Huber took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits and a walk in an inning of relief
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Playing in a driving rain early in the nightcap, Carson-Newman struck for a 1-0 lead in the top of the second with a solo homerun to dead center. However, the Blue and Gold would capitalize on a leadoff double by Danley in the bottom of the third as the Saints surged ahead with four runs in the frame.
 
With a runner on third and one gone, Whetsell tied the game with an RBI single through the right side before putting the Saints in front, 2-1, on a run-scoring double by Forbes. Limestone scored two more runs on a wild pitch and a throwing error by the catcher trying to throw behind the runner to make it 4-1.
 
A leadoff walk in the fourth would come back to haunt Alejandro in the fourth as Carson-Newman trimmed the deficit to 4-3, but the freshman used his first career strikeout to strand a runner in the fifth. Nevertheless, the Eagles would push across the tying run with a one-out double in the top of the seventh.
 
Looking for the walk-off, Limestone posted its first hit in three innings as Strovink singled to start the bottom of the seventh. The Saints were unable to execute in the clutch though as a double play on a bunt ended the threat in the seventh before failing to score with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth.
 
After leaving the winning run 90 feet away in the eighth, Limestone again was bitten by a leadoff walk as Carson-Newman used the free pass as a catalyst for platting five runs in the top of the ninth. The Saints went down quietly in their final at-bat as the Eagles rallied with eight unanswered runs to take the 9-4 win.
 
UP NEXT
 
Limestone will wrap up the first weekend of the 2020 season as it closes out a three-game set with Carson-Newman on Sunday, February 2 at Founders FCU Stadium. Game time is set for 1 p.m.   
 
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