April 26, 2008

Final Stats

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Carson-Newman College and Lenoir-Rhyne College each recorded a victory at the 2008 South Region Baseball Classic, hosted by Tusculum College Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Park. Carson-Newman (41-16) got a 2-for-4 effort by Jason Gray and Brett Hontz recorded his 11th win of the season as the Eagles defeated Lenoir-Rhyne 4-2. L-R (23-32) rebounded in the second game as the Bears rallied from a three-run deficit to edge No. 19 Tusculum 6-4 in 10 innings.

Carson-Newman 4, Lenoir-Rhyne 2

Carson-Newman jumped out to a 3-0 lead and held on late as the Eagles defeated Lenoir-Rhyne 4-2. The Bears out-hit the Eagles by an 11-7 margin, but Hontz and reliever Corbin Ariail kept L-R at bay, stranding 11 runners in the contest.

C-N plated two runs, utilizing one hit in the second inning. Corey Lamson drew a one-out walk and stole second. After a walk to Tyler Wynn, Mills Rogers singled home Lamson, while moving Wynn to third. Cory McGinnis' sacrifice bunt brought home Wynne with the second run of the inning. The Eagles added another tally in the fifth frame when Langdon Potts drew a one-out walk. On a pickoff throw at first base, the baseball sailed wide, rolling all the way to the right field corner. The errant throw allowed the speedy Potts to score all the way from first for a 3-0 C-N lead.

The Bears cut into the deficit with a pair of runs in the sixth, as Evan Taylor led off with a single and moved to third on Zachary Glass' 16th double of the season. Ariail came aboard to relieve Hontz as he struck out Mark Drucker, but gave up a RBI ground out, scoring Taylor from third bases. Stephen Andrews followed with a RBI single to right field as L-R trailed 3-2.

C-N added an important insurance run in the ninth inning when Potts connected on a two-out triple to the right center, his ninth of the year. Gray brought him in with his base hit to center field.

Ariail finished off the game in the bottom of the inning to post his fifth save of the season. Hontz went five inning, scattered seven hits, allowed two runs, walked two and struck out four to improve his record to 11-1. Ariail pitched four shutout innings as he allowed four hits and posted a pair of strikeouts in the Eagles third straight win.

Lenoir-Rhyne starter Chris Henderson (4-8) tossed eight innings in the loss. L-R's Daniel Ford went 3-for-5 in the game, while Glass also added three hits in the loss.

Carson-Newman also completes its regular season slate as the Eagles will await word of a possible at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. L-R ends its season at 23-32.

- TC -