JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman used a four-run first inning to win game one 5-3 before a late surge by No. 12/22 Tusculum saw the Pioneers hold on for a 5-3 victory in game two of the South Atlantic Conference series Sunday at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
"All we control is our attitude and our effort," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "I thought our guys had a great attitude and great effort even when we got punched in the mouth there. Our guys responded the same way they always have. I think that's a mark of the leadership of our team thinking about the next pitch. You limit the damage. Matt Coles did a good job of that. Our pitches gave up a lot of freebies, walks and hit batters, but our damage control was good giving single runs versus crooked numbers. We had some situations there but we didn't get the hit.
"I thought it was a well-played game in both parts especially with the conditions and the wind. We handled the situations well. Get a good night of sleep tonight and it's onto the first pitch."
With a win in game one, the Eagles secured a 14th home win in a row setting a new program record for a single season passing the 13 consecutive set in 2010. It was the fifth-longest active mark in the country prior to it being snapped in the nightcap.
Carson-Newman (20-10, 15-7) has won four games against top 25 competition this year, matching the third-most in a single season by the program with the 2008 ball club.
On the day, the pitching staff allowed 11 total hits by the Pioneers but four of the 11 left the yard. C-N tallied 16 base hits with six different players posting at least two knocks.
Game One: Carson-Newman 5, No. 12 Tusculum 3 (7 Innings)
Daulton Martin lined the first pitch of the game back up the box and Bryson Ford drew a walk to start the game. However the Pioneers settled for one run in the first on sacrifice fly to center field by Fuzzy Furr.
Tyler Thompson (Gallatin, Tenn.) wasted no time tying the score driving a 1-1 offering over the wall in left field to tie the score at one to lead off the bottom of the first. With one out and one man on base, Kilian Daughtry (Simpsonville, S.C.) cranked the first pitch of his at bat to the grass in left field to put C-N ahead 3-1. Gunner Becker walked the bases loaded with two outs and Micah Genter (Jasper, Tenn.) chopped an infield single to shortstop to bring in the fourth run of the inning.
Henry Jackson (Waxhaw, N.C.) shoveled a base hit underneath the sliding glove of the shortstop to open the second stanza. Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) roped a double down the left-field line banging off of the wall to score Jackson and push the lead out to 5-1.
With two outs and no one on in the top of the fifth, Bryson Ford launched a 1-1 delivery over the wall in left-center field for his fourth homer of the year to inch the Pioneers a run closer at 5-2.
Three walks and a hit batter opened the door for the Pioneers with Chase Wullenweber drawing a four-pitch free pass to bring in a run with one out making it a 5-3 contest. Tyler Shaver (Dandridge, Tenn.) fanned Kyle Williams and induced a ground out to second base by Martin to preserve a two-run edge.
The right-hander fired a flawless seventh with a pair of punch outs to iron down his team-leading second save of the year. Shaver worked the final 1 2/3 innings to secure the win for Brayden Coe (Bridgeville, Pa.) who went 5 1/3 innings giving up three earned runs with three punch outs.
Jackson led the C-N offense going 2-for-4 with two runs scored while Genter posted a pair of knocks and reached base safely in all of his three trips to the plate.
Tusculum was held to four hits, its second-lowest effort of the year, as Martin led the way with a pair of knocks. Gunner Becker took the loss recording three outs giving up five earned runs on six hits and three walks.
Goodbye baseball!@TylerThompson47 with the emphatic answer and it's all square in Mossy Creek.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) April 11, 2021
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— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) April 11, 2021
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Game Two: No. 12 Tusculum 5, Carson-Newman 3
Two pitches into the contest, Martin slammed a 1-0 pitch to deep left field clearing the wall for his seventh home run of the year to get the Pioneers off to a 1-0 lead.
After Thompson doubled to right field to open the bottom of the first, Travis bounced a ball inside of the first-base bag and down the right-field line to get him home with one out to deadlock the tally at one.
Two hit batters set the stage for Chase Wullenweber in the top of the fourth with two outs. The right-handed hitter flared a ball into shallow right field that found the grass among three Eagle fielders to bring in the go-ahead run and put the Pioneers on top 2-1.
With one out and nobody aboard in the top of the fifth, Ford clobbered a 0-1 pitch over the 18-foot tall fence in left field to extend the margin to 3-1.
Carson-Newman pieced together a two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth. Daughtry drove a ball to the wall in right-center field to score Thompson with two outs to make it a one-run contest. The next batter, Zach Boze (Gallatin, Tenn.), punched a ball over the right fielder's head to bring in Daughtry and tie the margin at three.
The last six Pioneers were retired when Daalen Adderley stepped to the plate with two outs in the top of the eighth. He fell behind 0-2 before turning around a pitch hitting over the wall in left field to put the visiting club on top 4-3.
With a man on base and one out in the top of the ninth, Martin crushed a ball over the wall in left field but he made overran the runner at first allowing the run to score but Martin being called out to make it a 5-3 contest.
Thompson drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the ninth but Mitch McCain struck out the side to secure his sixth save of the year.
The Eagles posted a 9-7 edge in hits on the day with six doubles but left nine runners on base in the contest. Thompson reached base safely all five times with two hits and three walks. Carpenter added a pair of double in three at bats.
Martin and Ford each tallied two hits in five trips to the dish with the former knocking in a pair. The bullpen combined of Justin Parker and McCain fired 4 1/3 scoreless innings with five punch outs.
The Eagles and the Pioneers polish of their four-game series on Monday starting at noon with the first of two affairs in matinee fashion. Broadcast coverage airs on cneagles.com/live with audio and video courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network.
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