Eagles drop series opener to Lenoir-Rhyne, 4-2
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman baseball team saw its late ninth-inning rally fall short Friday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex. The Eagles fell to visiting Lenoir-Rhyne 4-2 in their South Atlantic Conference matchup.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman baseball team saw its late ninth-inning rally fall short Friday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex. The Eagles fell to visiting Lenoir-Rhyne 4-2 in their South Atlantic Conference matchup.
The win helps pull Lenoir-Rhyne out of the SAC celler with a 3-9 conference record. The Bears are 6-22 overall. The Eagles are 10-18 on the season with a 6-7 SAC record.
Carson-Newman got on the board first in the bottom of the third inning. Senior center fielder Cody Nix (Cartersville, Ga.) led off the inning with a triple into right field. A sacrifice fly from sophomore catcher Lance Reed (Elizabethton, Tenn.) sent Nix sliding into home plate.
The Bears wasted no time in answering back in the top of the fourth. An RBI from L-R's Walton Shepherd tied the game. Bears left fielder Stephen Andrews hit a two-run home run over the right field fence in the following at-bat to give Lenoir-Rhyne a 3-1 lead.
The Bears stretched the lead to 4-1 with a second RBI from Shepherd. Over the next two innings Carson-Newman left three men stranded on base. In the bottom of the ninth, the Eagles' lead-off man, sophomore designated hitter Lucas Mohan (Glasgow, Ky.) started off the inning with a home run. Senior right fielder Jonathan Dalton (Rutledge, Tenn.) drew a walk to get a runner on base with no outs on the board. With three more chances at the plate, the Eagles flied out, popped out and grounded out to first base to end the game.
Senior right hander Austin Bridgewater (Morristown, Tenn.) took the loss on the hill. Bridgewater (1-5) spread 10 hits across eight innings with two walks and six strikeouts. Senior pitcher Mike Mullen (Bradenton, Fla.) pitched the final inning, giving up two hits.
Lenoir-Rhyne's Christian Hicks (2-3) took the win, also pitching eight innings while giving up just four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. L-R's Brandon Padgett grabbed his first save of the season with a hitless ninth.
The Eagles get a chance to even up the score against Lenoir-Rhyne Saturday when they host a doubleheader at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex. First pitch is at noon.
