Floyd reaches 200 career hits as offense erupts in blowout win over Shorter
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (28-17) closed the home slate with its second-highest scoring game of the year, scoring 19 runs in a ten-run win over Shorter (15-27) on Tuesday at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 3 |
|
|
0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 19 | 17 | 1 |
VIDEO: Kevin Hammond Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (28-17) closed the home slate with its second-highest scoring game of the year, scoring 19 runs in a ten-run win over Shorter (15-27) on Tuesday at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
The win extends Carson-Newman's winning streak to six games. It's the program's third six-game winning streak this season.
"We've done well against Shorter this year," Carson-Newman head coach Tom Griffin said. "But I remind myself that Coach (Wes) Timmons over there owned me for about three or four years. In midweeks game this late in the year, you are going to throw a lot of arms. Happy for Floyd. Another good job by the bottom part of our lineup. Kevin Hammond hasn't had a lot of playing time, but was really good behind the dish, called a good game and had a couple hits. Ryan Bolton continues to stay hot for us down there. That balance is really important as we move forward."
Carson-Newman's win is its fourth straight over the Hawks and the third run-rule victory during this winning streak over Shorter.
Offense was the story of the day and it was a balanced effort to reach a season-high 17 hits to score 19 runs.
Logan Floyd (Adairsville, Ga.) was of many offensive contributors in the win. He went 2 for 4 and tied for a team high with four RBI. His first hit of the game was his 200th career hit, becoming the first Eagle since Tyler Thompson with 200 career hits in the Orange and Blue. He is the fourth player under Griffin to reach that mark.
"He is a phenomenal young man," Griffin said. "He is an outstanding student, great teammate and there's never a problem with him because of how he was raised by his parents. He is a quality human being. When you have that, you have a chance to be a good ballplayer. The one thing I think that has evolved the most is his leadership. He has done an excellent job with that. I don't think there is any doubt that he can play professional baseball one day."
2⃣0⃣0⃣career hits for @Logan_Floyd11
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) April 22, 2026
He becomes the eighth player in program history to reach that mark‼️
��https://t.co/RBgxiulNnq@CNBaseball x #TalonsUp x @FloCollegeBSB pic.twitter.com/7uUJuaZLP6
Others made their impact felt in the 19-run performance. Matthew Bishop (Leesville, S.C.) had a career-high four RBI and a base hit. Kevin Hammond had a career day, recording career highs in hits with two and RBI with three.
Outfielders Ryan Bolton (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Braxton Smith (Cleveland, Tenn.) each led the hitting attack, posting three each. Bolton's three hit day matched a career-high. Both players scored four runs in the game.
Overall, six players had multi-hit days and six had multi-RBI days.
Shorter miscues helped C-N get the first runs of the game in the second inning. After Smith reached on a throwing error, Bolton and Pierce laid down bunt singles to load the bases. Hammond then came up and reached on a second fielding error and that scored the game's first run. C-N's second run of the frame scored two batters later, as Aiden Gibson (Cleveland, Tenn.) drew a six-pitch walk. Bradley Soto Diaz (Davenport, Fla.) recorded the lone RBI hit of the inning, a single to right. Bishop closed the inning with a sac fly to cap a four-run second inning.
The Eagles would bat around for a second straight frame and post another four-run inning in the third. Hammond scored Smith a single up the middle. Next up was Floyd, whose 200th career hit scored Bolton to push the lead to 6-0.
The final two runs of the third scored on a bases-loaded walk and hit by pitch to make the score 8-0 after three innings.
Shorter responded in the top of the fourth and did so in a big way. With two on and one out, Reece Newberry launched a home run down the field line to get the Hawks on the board.
After holding the Eagles scoreless in the fourth and fifth frames, Shorter continued to trim the C-N lead. Three walks loaded the bases and then three consecutive singles scored runs to make the deficit just one. The Eagles turned one of their five double plays in the game to stay in front after five and a half innings.
Fortunately, Carson-Newman was able to answer right back. Two singles and a muffed throw loaded the bases with nobody out. The next three batters all drove in runs. Bolton singled in one, Hammond drew a walk and a Floyd sac fly made the score 11-7. Soto Diaz finished the frame with a two-out RBI single to get the lead back to 12-7 after six innings.
The Hawks managed to make it a three-run game again in the seventh. A bases loaded hit by pitch made it 12-8. Relief pitcher Kyle Adams (Gordonsville, Tenn.) then got help from the defense again, which turned its fifth and final double play of the day to limit the seventh inning damage.
The five double plays turned by the Eagles are the most in a game since recording five versus Catawba on February 23, 2008. Five double plays is tied for the most in game in the program's DII era.
Shorter plates a pair
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) April 21, 2026
Kyle Adams comes in and forces the 5⃣th double play and gets a strikeout to end it ��
��⬛ Shorter - 9
�� @CNBaseball - 12
M7
��️ https://t.co/PNb1NbGvFS @FloCollegeBSB
�� https://t.co/gipZ7woHxo
�� https://t.co/hiIvfnQa8x
�� https://t.co/ilgg20SBM2 pic.twitter.com/9CL8gxYn88
Leading by three, C-N added to that with a five-run bottom of the seventh inning. Bolton's third knock of the day was a RBI double to begin the seventh inning scoring. Later in the inning, Gibson, Bishop and Smith would all record RBI singles with two outs to push the lead to 17-9.
The game ended in run-rule fashion in the eighth. Fittingly, Floyd finished off the game by demolishing a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall for his 10th long ball of the year which finished the ten-run win.
Adams retired all five batters he faced late in the game, and earned a six-out save for his fourth of the year.
Brock Culpepper (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) made his first start of the year, pitching two scoreless innings with two strikeouts to win his fifth game of the season.
Shorter's starter Colby Schachtner suffered his second loss of the year in two innings of work. All four runs that he allowed were unearned runs.
Carson-Newman's final regular season South Atlantic Conference series is this weekend at UVA Wise. The series begins on Friday. 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.
