LIVINGSTON, Ala. – Pitching miscues put the Tigers in a deep hole to open the competition against Carson-Newman. Despite being down 11-0 going into the bottom of the sixth, the West Alabama baseball team rallied back to prevent a shutout Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers scored 10 runs in just four frames to keep the game going at Tartt Field. Even with the late-inning effort, the Eagles held off UWA for the 13-10 victory. West Alabama falls to 0-8 on the season.
SCORING
Carson-Newman (6-2) scored in every frame but one in the first six innings of the matchup.
In the first inning, the Eagles brought home a runner on a ground out to lead the Tigers 1-0.
In the third inning, CNU scored two runs. The first on another ground out and a second on a homer to left field.
The top of the fourth was challenging for the Tiger pitching staff. Three runs came in on pitching miscues. One run scored on a wild pitch with loaded bases, and two more runs came in on walks. The Eagles advanced their lead to 9-0 on a single by Andrew Carpenter for three RBIs.
Another hit in the fifth made 10 for Carson-Newman, and an error in the top of the sixth pushed the score to 11-0.
Not discouraged, West Alabama had a huge sixth inning to put up five runs and prevent the shutout. Kyle Vogler was the first Tiger to make it home, scoring on a wild pitch. Jonathan Thibodeau singled to right-center to score Jake Nemith. He then came home on a single by Brayden Lyman. The last two runs of the inning came off the bat of Connor Christian. The Pelham, Ala. homered to bring Lyman home for two RBIs. The Tigers trailed the Eagles, 11-5.
Both teams went scoreless in the seventh inning, but the Tigers and the Eagles put up runs in the eighth. During CNU's at-bat, Henry Jackson doubled to right field to score an unearned run. He then reached home plate on a fielder's choice to put the score at 13-5.
In the bottom, Thibodeau scored on an error by the centerfielder. Rashad Blount hit for two bases to score Conor Christian and trail the Eagles, 13-9.
The Tigers kept Carson-Newman scoreless in the top of the ninth while seeing movement offensively in the bottom. Nemith and Josh Bower led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and Thibodeau loaded the bases on a walk with no outs. Lyman scored Nemith on a single, and Christian brought home Bower on a sacrifice fly for the last two runs of the game. The final score was 13-10.
AT BAT
Vogler had an impressive 4-for-5 showing with one run for the Tigers, and Christian led the team in RBIs with five.
Nemith, Thibodeau, Lyman, and Christian tied for a team game-high of two runs.
ON THE MOUND
Starting pitcher Mason Hollander (0-1) received his first season loss. The Tuscumbia, Ala. native pitched 3.1 innings for eight hits against, six earned runs, one walk, one wild pitch, and three strikeouts.
Matt Bradley (1-0) started for the Eagles to receive his first win of the season. He pitched 5.0 innings for one hit against, one wild pitch, and eight strikeouts.
UP NEXT
West Alabama returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 13, to close the weekend against Emmanuel College. The first pitch is set for noon.
To stay connected with the UWA baseball team, follow @UWA_baseball on Twitter. General athletic news, along with game recaps and box scores, can be found at uwaathletics.com. Additional updates and information are available @UWAAthletics on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
