#5 Carson-Newman Eliminates #2 Tusculum to Advance

TAMPA, Fla. - Fifth seed Carson-Newman (43-17) will continue their run in the NCAA II South Regional as the Eagles upset conference-rival Tusculum (41-15) by a score of 9-3, eliminating their second opponent in two days.

Carson-Newman got on the board in the first against Pioneer starter Eric Donahue (7-2). Second baseman Langdon Potts led off the bottom half with a double and, after Jason Gray laid down a sacrifice bunt, scored on long fly ball to center field from Derek Long.

The Eagles received a strong outing from starter Corbin Arial, who earned the save in yesterday's win over Stillman College. Arial tossed four scoreless innings before loading the bases in the fifth with one out. Lefty Michael Elliot (4-0) let up a sacrifice fly to Carlos Rivera to plate the first Pioneer run before ending the inning. Elliot pitched the next two and a third en route to his fourth win of the season.

Tyler Wynn continued to come up big for the Eagles as he took the first pitch he saw in the sixth over the center field wall. Carson-Newman took advantage of two errors by the Pioneer outfield in the inning, enabling them to add three more runs off the bats of Gray and catcher Jonathan McMahon. Tusculum would make three pitching changes in the inning before Mat Galens got Long to ground out to end it.

The teams traded runs in the seventh, but the Eagles added two more in the eighth. Pioneer catcher Christian Rosa hit a solo shot with one out in the ninth, but the game was already too far out of reach.

Carson-Newman will try to prolong their school record 43-win season as they face #3 Catawba in tonight's elimination game.