Baseball Downs Eagles

MARS HILL, N.C. – The Lions made a late comeback to defeat Carson-Newman 4-2 in South Atlantic Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon at Henderson Field. Mars Hill improved to 5-12 overall and 2-8 in the league while the Eagles fell to 9-12 on the season, 6-10 in the SAC.

Evan Rogers led MHU to victory going 4-4 with two RBI. His RBI accounted for the tying and winning run in the contest. Dylan Powers and Lance Edwards followed with two hits apiece. Edwards added an RBI and a run scored. Powers scored a run and recorded a double in the win. Chandler Young obtained the win (1-0) pitching 4.1 innings in relief scattering four hits allowing one run. Caleb Edwards threw the final inning getting three consecutive outs to pick up his first save on the year. Andy Runion started the game and throwing 3.2 innings allowing five hits and one run while striking out four batters.

Joe Rotelli and Brandon Roberts led the Eagles with two hits and a RBI apiece. Quinton Yocom suffered the loss (2-2) in seven innings of work.

The Eagles scored a single run in their first at-bat on three hits. The Lions tied the game at 1-all in the bottom of the second inning when Edwards singled down the left field line to plate Phillip Carroll.

Rotelli singled to center field in the fifth frame to drive in Evan Jurjevic and give the Eagles a 2-1 advantage. With two outs in the seventh inning, Rogers hit a bases loaded single to right-center field to score Edwards and Ky'Rawn Whitfield for what would later prove to be his game winning at-bat. A pinch-hit sacrifice fly from Alex Zachary in the eighth inning scored Powers to end the scoring in the contest and give the Lions a 4-2 lead. Edwards sat down the first three batters for the Eagles in the top of the ninth to seal the win for the Lions.

The teams will met for a double-header tomorrow at 1 p.m. to complete the three-game SAC series.