Baseball Sweeps Eagles
The Lions' baseball team completed the three-game sweep of South Atlantic Conference rival Carson-Newman defeating the Eagles by scores of 3-2 and 9-8
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Lions' baseball team completed the three-game sweep of South Atlantic Conference rival Carson-Newman defeating the Eagles by scores of 3-2 and 9-8 Saturday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Complex. Mars Hill improved to 18-8 overall and 6-3 in the league. Carson-Newman fell to 14-8 on the season, 3-3 in the SAC.
Game 1: Mars Hill 3, Carson-Newman 2
Evan Rogers led the Lions at the plate in the first contest going 2-2 with two doubles and the same number of RBI. Rayshelon Carolina followed with two hits, a double and a pair of runs scored. Hunter Boydston threw a complete game scattering seven hits allowing just two runs while striking out four batters. He did not walk a single Eagle batter in seven innings of work.
Mars Hill scored two runs in their first at-bat. Rogers hit a double to plate Carolina and then Phillip Carroll drew a bases loaded walk to score Dalton Eisenbath.
After Ryan Addington tripled to left-center field, Brandon Roberts hit a sacrifice fly to send him to the plate and make the score 2-1 after one complete inning of play.
Rogers and Carolina teamed up again in the sixth frame to score what would later prove to be the game winning run. Carolina singled up the middle to lead off the inning and then Rogers hit a double to send Carolina to the plate. The Eagles added their final run the bottom half of the sixth inning when Cade Snapp singled to score Roberts.
Boydston held the Eagles at Bay in the seventh inning to obtain his fourth win (4-1) of the year. It was Boydston's second complete game of the season. He leads MHU in innings pitched (35.0) and has a 3.34 ERA this season.
Game 2: Mars Hill 9, Carson-Newman 8
Rogers was 2-4 at the plate with a homerun, two RBI and two runs scored in the nightcap. Logan Conley went 2-4 with a homerun and two RBI while Eisenbath also posted two hits with a double and a RBI. Alec Bivens threw three innings in relief to obtain the win (2-2) while Kaleb McCurry threw the final 2.1 innings to record his first save on the year. McCurry allowed only two hits, no runs and struck out two batters.
The Lions scored five runs in their first at-bat on one hit and three Eagle miscues. Rogers had an RBI double to highlight the inning. The Eagles plated two runs in the bottom of the first inning on one hit to trim the Lions' lead to 5-2.
In the top of the second inning, a solo homerun by Rogers and a sacrifice fly be Hunter Merrill that scored Dylan Powers, extended the Lions' advantage to 7-2. The Eagles scored a single run in the bottom half of the second inning before Conley hit a two-run homerun in the fourth inning to increase the Lions' lead to 9-3.
The Eagles would fight their way back into the contest scoring five runs in the fifth inning on the same number of hits and two Lion errors. The inning was highlighted by a two-run homerun by Brendan Campbell. McCurry and the Lions' defense held strong after that point as Mars Hill left the Jefferson City with the three-game sweep of the Eagles.
Mars Hill will play at Young Harris on Tuesday, March 15. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.