VIDEO: Tom Griffin and Kolton Casson Postgame Press Conference
BELMONT, N.C. – Seventh-seeded Carson-Newman (37-18) was unable to sustain early offensive success and allowed four unanswered runs in the final three innings in a 5-4 loss to two-seeded Belmont Abbey (41-15) on Thursday evening at Abbey Yard.
“I think everyone here has created a great atmosphere here,” Carson-Newman head coach Tom Griffin said. “It’s a great environment, the community has really bought into this. They make it fun for our players, not just because it is a regional game. Disappointing to lose, but we knew 4-1 would not last. The zeroes their reliever was putting up, we needed to get some runs to feel more comfortable. We didn’t get many opportunities because of the work (Seth) Edgerton did. Kolton (Casson) gave us all he had. He was out of gas and did a great job. Belmont Abbey has some juice in that lineup, you must make quality pitches.”
Belmont Abbey would score in the bottom of the first with two outs. Connor Tucker poked a double to right center to score Connor Powell to make it 1-0 BAC.
Carson-Newman would flip momentum over the next two innings. Singles from Nicholas Castellana (Lancaster, N.Y) and Frankie Delgado (Deltona, Fla.) put runners on first and third with one out. Trey Miller (Rocky Point, N.Y) hit a fly ball to right to plate Castellana and tie the game.
Next half inning, C-N’s offense went back to work. A leadoff Spencer Williams (Seymour, Tenn.) double set the tone for the inning. C-N managed another baserunner with two outs, putting two on base for Castellana. On the first pitch of his second at bat, the senior crushed a breaking ball over the left field wall to push the Eagles in front 4-1 after three innings.
BAC’s next opportunity to score came in the bottom of the fourth inning. Kolton Casson (Benton, Tenn.) allowed a pair of singles, but got Jack Boyles to ground out for the final out of the inning.
Casson settled in well after allowing the early run. He faced the minimum through innings five and six and tossed five straight scoreless innings to keep the Eagles ahead by three runs after six innings.
C-N’s offense could never figure out Seth Edgerton. After four runs on four hits in the first three innings, the Eagles would never get back to that form offensively.
The Eagles only managed one baserunner in the final six innings of the game, a Cole Nathan (Knoxville, Tenn.) double in the fifth inning. Edgerton’s pitching would give BAC the momentum it needed to mount a late comeback.
Two free passes and a single loaded the bases with one out for the Crusaders in the seventh inning. The only run they would get in the frame would come off a hit by pitch. Casson got a pair of groundouts to limit the damage done.
The freshman and pitcher of the year gave Carson-Newman all he had, and was relieved for Christian Henderson (Clarksville, Tenn.) in the bottom of the eighth. The first pitch of the inning was a Conner Tucker home run to make it a one-run game. After a pair of outs, Joe Whitaker would tie the game, driving an 0-1 pitch over the left field wall for a game-tying home run.
With C-N’s offense still stuck in mud, BAC would finish off its comeback. A pinch-hit single by Jake Bidoglio started the ninth and Matt Fattore drove him in, with a walk-off double to left to complete the rally.
Casson pitched seven innings of two-run ball for Carson-Newman, striking out two and issued a season-high five free passes (two walks, three hit by pitches). 48 of his 81 pitches were strikes.
Castellana produced a two-hit day with three RBI.
Edgerton’s six scoreless innings earned him his fourth win of the year. He allowed just one baserunner and struck out six batters.
Carson-Newman is now in the loser’s bracket and will face off against sixth-seeded North Georgia tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m. All of C-N’s games this weekend at the NCAA tournament will air with a free audio stream available courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network on cneagles.com/live.