Eagles and Flames set to meet in Cleveland
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (10-11) plays Lee (15-6) for the second time in the past three weeks when the two clubs meet at Larry Carpenter Stadium for a non-conference game at 4:00 p.m. in Cleveland.
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JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (10-11) plays Lee (15-6) for the second time in the past three weeks when the two clubs meet at Larry Carpenter Stadium for a non-conference game at 4:00 p.m. in Cleveland.
The first meeting came back on February 24, a 9-2 Lee victory. The first three innings were scoreless and then both sides each scored twice in the fourth. C-N never scored again and the Flames scored seven unanswered runs, which included a five-run seventh inning. Overall, they lead the series 19-13 and have won seven straight over the Eagles.
Carson-Newman won its fourth game under head coach Tom Griffin over a top three team by winning the series finale against #3 Catawba on Saturday. Kolton Casson tossed his eighth career complete game, second this season to earn his fourth win of the year. The sophomore right-hander struck out nine Indians, resetting his season-high. The Eagles needed a late rally to win the finale. Catawba took a two-run lead with a four-run sixth in the seven inning game. But, Matthew Bishop delivered a pinch-hit two-run single to tie the game and Cole Nathan launched his first home run of the year to give the Eagles the lead for good.
The Eagles will look to get back on the winning side of these non-conference contests. They won their first seven non-conference games of the season, but have dropped their last two to Gulf South Conference foes Lee and Trevecca Nazarene. Overall, C-N is 7-2 in non-conference play and is hitting .297 at the plate with a team earned run average at 5.11.
Logan Floyd continues to showcase himself as one of the best hitters in the conference and in the region. After a trio of multi-hit days this past week, Floyd now has 52 career games with at least two hits, 12 of which have come this season. The junior infielder is third in the SAC in batting average hitting .440 this season. Nine of his 33 hits have gone for doubles, the second-most in the league this season. He's added two triples and four home runs, to hit for extra bases 15 times this season. Three of his four home runs came this past week.
Since defeating Carson-Newman back on February 24, the Flames have gone 4-3. They ended February with a series sweep over Auburn Montgomery, but have started the month of March losing three of four. They were walked off by Lincoln Memorial last Tuesday in the 10th, losing 6-5. That result is their only non-conference loss of the year. This past weekend, the Flames won the series opener with Union, before losing by a combined five runs in the final two games to lose the series. Overall, Lee is 15-6 and 8-1 in non-conference play.
10 of Lee's 15 wins this season have come at Larry Carpenter Stadium. The Flames are 10-3 at home this season and have won four straight games. They won their first six before being swept by Delta State. Four of their home wins have come by three runs or less.
The Flames have one of the best offenses in the GSC this season. They lead the league in scoring averaging 8.3 runs per game and do it with a quality combination of speed and power. Lee has stolen 61 bases, the most in the GSC and the eighth-most nationally. It has hit 25 home runs to lead the GSC, the 24th-most nationally. Overall, they are hitting .323 as a club.
Isaiah French is one of many quality hitters in the Lee order. He leads the club with a .415 average with six home runs and 24 RBI. Five other Flames that have double-digit starts are hitting above .300 as well.
Impressive hitting and baserunning marks have been paired with quality pitching as well. Their 3.89 staff earned run average is 12th-best nationally. Seven pitchers with multiple appearances have a sub four era.
First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. The game can be heard on cneagles.com/live. Fans can also watch the radio crew at work with a feed of press row on YouTube.
