VIDEO: Noah Pridmore Interview
VIDEO: Dalton McLain Interview
GAFFNEY, S.C. – Despite not scoring for seven innings in game one and trailing by as many as four runs in game two, Carson-Newman stayed hot in South Atlantic Conference action winning 8-1 and 10-7 Saturday at Founders FCU Stadium against Limestone.
"Big road wins against a good club," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "Fortunately for us Noah [Pridmore] was tremendous. He was so locked in and gave us scoreless innings. Fortunately we were able to get to the 'pen and get some hits. We played pretty good defense in that game as well.
"In game two, [Mason] Mooney wasn't the sharpest at the beginning and we had a couple errors. Again, they responded well. We got punched in the mouth early and answered back. I'm really happy for [Dalton] McLain today. I really thought he had good at bats. Aiden Gibson had good at bats and good defense."
The Eagles improve to 7-1 in league action for the first time since starting 9-1 in 2013 winning seven in a row for the first time since a string of eight straight in 2021 moving into a tie for first place in the standings with Newberry and Catawba. Overall, the club has rattled off win in 16 of its last 21 league contests dating back to the end of 2022.
Carson-Newman (14-12, 7-1) has won the series in Gaffney four consecutive trips and has won seven in a row over Limestone (8-16, 3-8), the longest stretch for either side in a series that dates back to 1988.
Game One: CARSON-NEWMAN 8, Limestone 1
In a game where neither side scored a run until the eighth inning, each starting pitcher threw seven shutout innings. Noah Pridmore (Ootlewah, Tenn.) scattered six hits and a walk while fanning two. James Deloatch yielded just one hit and two walks striking out nine.
"I didn't have my best stuff at the start," Pridmore said. "I have been dealing with some injury stuff and getting some treatment. I just tried not to let outside things go onto the field. I trust my catcher and the guys behind me. If they make an error I'm going to pick them up. If I make a bad pitch, they pick me up."
The Eagles did not have a hit since the second inning until Ryan Potts (Dandridge, Tenn.) laced a double to center field to lead off the top of the seventh. After a pop up, Will Gibbs (Harrisburg, Ill.) hit a single up the middle to bring in the game's first run. With two outs, Nelson Smith (Goodlettsville, Tenn.) ripped a double to left field giving the visitors a 2-0 edge.
After the Saints got a run in the bottom of the eighth, Carson-Newman exploded for six runs in the nine to go on top 8-1, the second-most runs scored in any inning this year. Following a Zach Boze (Gallatin, Tenn.) RBI base hit to right field, Dalton McLain (Greeneville, Tenn.) launched his first homer of the year over the left-field wall. Base hits from Aiden Gibson (Cleveland, Tenn.) and Smith sandwiched around a sacrifice fly from Trey Miller (Rocky Point, N.Y.) capped the big frame.
Elevated to the two hole in the lineup, Smith went 2-for-5 with two RBIs while Boze and Gibbs each had a pair of knocks. Grif Hughes (Knoxville, Tenn.) came in to throw the final two innings with three punch outs.
The Orange and Blue ended up outhitting the Saints 11-10 with Peter Adams tallying three of those knocks in five trips to the plate.
Game Two: CARSON-NEWMAN 10, Limestone 7
Limestone came out swinging in the second game putting up four runs in the bottom of the first to seize control at 4-0. The inning started with an error and a wild pitch with Noah Love driving in the game's first run with a base hit. With two men aboard, Clark Burroughs homered to left-center field.
The Eagles scored the game's next six runs scoring twice in the second, third and fifth innings to go in front at 6-4. Two errors put two men on in the second with Gibbs and Miller singling back-to-back to get the visitors on the board.
After a lead-of single in the third, Mitchell Balint (Avondale, Pa.) swatted a two-run homer down the left-field line to tie the score. McLain added a two-run single in the fifth.
The Saints responded in the bottom of the fifth once again igniting the charge on a lead-off error. Burroughs and Wyatt Stone single to even the tally at six.
Griffin's group snapped the tie in the top of the seventh scoring four times to take control at 10-6. Three of the first four reached to start the inning before a Potts single to right put the Eagles ahead. Gibson cleared the bases with a double down the left-field line.
Zach O'Malley homered to lead off the bottom of the seventh before Hunter Harritan (Huntersville, N.C.) polished off the win with 2 1/3 innings of relief.
Balint went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored with Gibson driving in three runs. James Denten (Mt. Prospect, Ill.) notched a pair of knocks and McLain drove in two runs.
"Lately we have been really good at punching back," McLain said. "When we get punched we punch back. Sometimes it's even harder than they do so it's been good. It's huge to be able to do that."
Burroughs notched two hits and drove in four while O'Malley scored three times and had three hits. The Saints used two pitchers with each giving up at least four earned runs.
The two programs conclude the series on Sunday at noon from Founders FCU Stadium in a contest airing on the Eagle Sports Network with an audio-only stream available on cneagles.com/live.
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