NEWBERRY, S.C. – Coming back less than 48 hours after its last game, Carson-Newman's pitching staff tossed its fourth shutout of the year winning game one 2-0 before its comeback bid fell short in a 9-7 loss at Newberry's Smith Road Complex Wednesday in South Atlantic Conference play.
"Corey Wilson might not have had his best stuff today but he made big pitches to make them leave a lot of guys on base," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "Charlie Brown made a critical play throwing out a guy at the plate. That was huge. We had two huge hits from Kilian Daughtry and we made came up big with two outs. Jake Wright did a great job nailing it down. He has a persona about him and that helped our guys seal that first game.
"In game two, we got punched in the mouth but Ryan Smithson came out and was throwing strikes. He was great and gave us a chance. Credit to our guys for getting back into the game after that first inning but we just didn't make the big plays to seize our moment."
In game one, the Eagles posted their fourth shutout of the season tying five other clubs during the program's Division II era (since 1994) for the third-most in a single season. Only the 1996 and 2006 teams that secured six have more than this year's crop.
Carson-Newman (21-13, 16-10) snapped a six-game road losing streak in the first game winning away from home for the first time since Feb. 28. With the win, the Eagles match their most SAC wins in a single season raising the number to 16. Newberry (19-12, 16-8) had won 24 of its last 27 home conference outings prior to action on Wednesday.
Game One: Carson-Newman 2, Newberry 0 (7 Innings)
Newberry stranded seven men on base through the first three innings including the bases loaded twice. Carson-Newman took advantage scratching across the game's first run in the top of the fourth. With two outs, Henry Jackson (Waxhaw, N.C.) reached on an infield single moving to second base on a passed ball. Kilian Daughtry (Simpsonville, S.C.) flopped a base hit to left-center field to get the Eagles ahead 1-0.
The Wolves ignited a rally immediately after with a double and a base hit put runners at the corners with no one out. Jake Wright (Ringgold, Ga.) was summoned from the bullpen. Luke Orr hit a shallow fly ball to center field that Charlie Brown (Sevierville, Tenn.) snatched and threw to the plate. Matt Parkinson (Whitesboro, N.Y.) picked up the ball two steps up the third base line and slapped a tag on the hip of the runner to preserve the shutout.
In the top of the sixth, the Eagles added an insurance run. Daughtry dribbled a base hit through the left side of the infield with one out to bring in Gunnar Ricketts (Hixson, Tenn.) from third to push the tally out to 2-0.
Wright secured his first save of the year firing four shutdown stanzas giving up one hit and one walk in the victory. Corey Wilson (Germantown, Tenn.) scattered six hits and made critical pitches over three scoreless innings to take home his third win of the year.
Daughtry paced an offense that produced eight hits with a 2-for-3 effort driving in a pair. Ricketts and Jackson each tallied two hits and scored a run apiece.
Zachary Bailes led the Newberry lineup going 3-for-3 with a walk from the lead-off spot. Dalton Lansdowne chipped in a pair of pokes from the nine spot. Three Newberry pitchers did not issue a base on balls in the game with Jonathan White taking the loss in his four frames of work.
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Game Two: Newberry 9, Carson-Newman 7
Newbery wasted no time putting game one in the rearview mirror drawing four consecutive walks to open the scoring. A fielder's choice, a passed ball and a sacrifice fly to center field put the Eagles in a 4-0 hole after an inning of play.
The Eagles began to chip away in the second with Micah Genter (Jasper, Tenn.) dropping down a perfect squeeze bunt to get his club on the board. In the fourth, Zach Boze (Gallatin, Tenn.) pinged a base hit into center field to draw C-N a run closer at 4-2.
After the Wolves extend the margin back to three with a sacrifice fly to center field in the sixth, Carson-Newman's lumber came alive in the seventh scoring five times to take a 7-5 advantage. A base hit and two errors loaded the bases. The Orange and Blue settled for two sacrifice flies to get within a run before Genter lined a base knock into left field to tie the score. Tyler Thompson (Gallatin, Tenn.) delivered with two outs driving a two-run double to the fence in right field.
It was short-lived lead as Newberry struck with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. With two men on and no one out, a pair of pop outs forced the Wolves to rally with two outs. Nick Butler and Colin Allman rang the bell with run-scoring knocks. With runners at the corners, a throwing error on a stolen base attempt of second allowed a run to score from third and put the home club back on top 8-7.
Newberry tacked one on in the bottom of the eighth. Genter drew a two-out walk in the ninth but a grounder to first base closed out the game and stymied the comeback bid.
Jackson tallied his first-career four-hit day scoring a run while Boze added three knocks. Carson-Newman won the hits battle with a dozen compared to seven yielded by the hurlers.
Ryan Smithson (Monroe, Ga.) logged a career-high six frames in relief allowing two earned runs on three hits and a walk for the best outing of his career.
Bryce Peterson was the winning pitch as the only man of four pitchers used to not allow a run hurling the final 2 1/3 innings. Butler led the offense with two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored. Kenny Bergmann had a pair of sacrifice flies driving in two.
The Eagles wrap up the regular season with a road trip to Coker starting on Saturday at noon with the first game of a four-game series from Hartsville, S.C.
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