Carson-Newman Wins Third Game 12-Inning Thriller Over Tusculum For 2007 Food Lion SAC Baseball Tournament Championship

GREENVILLE, S.C. - Carson-Newman scored three runs in the 12th inning and go on to the 6-3 victory over Tusculum to win the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament Championship on Sunday afternoon at Municipal Stadium.

The second-seeded Eagles (35-18) claim the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II South Regionals. Tusculum (44-12) will now wait word on an at-large berth to the regionals.

The game was a marathon affair that lasted 3:57, the longest game in SAC Tournament history and the sixth-longest game in the league.

Carson-Newman loaded the bases with one out in the first. Leftfielder Adam Kefauver drove in two runs with a single through the right side to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.

In the home half of the first, Christian Rosa got the Pioneers on the board with an opposite-field solo homerun, his eighth of the season, to trim the lead to 2-1.

The Pioneers would threaten to take the lead in the second. However, with runners at first and second and one out, Marc Hyndsman lined into a double play to end the rally.

In the third, Carlos Rivera singled and Rosa laced a base-hit to right to move Rivera to third. Matt Webb provided a sacrifice fly to left to plate Rivera, tying the game at 2-2.

In the Eagle seventh, Achberger hit a would-be inning ending grounder to Porter at second base. However, the ball went under Porter's glove, allowing Langdon Potts to score the go-ahead run from third.

After Tusculum tied the game at 3-3 in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Winslow, the Pioneers threaten to take the lead in the eighth. Rosa reached on an infield single on moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a strikeout, Carson-Newman head coach Tom Griffin elected to intentionally walk both Paul Finger and pinch-hitter Maikol Gonzalez to load the bases. With the bases juiced, Aaron Hudgins hit a rocker liner that Langdon Potts snared to end the inning, keeping the game tied at 3-3.

Both teams could not dent the scoreboard until the Eagle 12th. Jason Gray led off with a walk while Derek Long, attempting to lay down a sacrifice bunt, reached base on a throwing error by the catcher Rosa, moving Gray all the way to third. Keafauver singled home Gray to break the tie. Long would score on a wild pitch and Cory McGinnis would double home a run to give the Eagles the 6-3 lead and go on to the eventual victory.

Kefauver led Carson-Newman offensively, going 2-for-6 with a run scored and two runs batted in. Rosa led Tusculum with a 4-for-6 performance, including a run scored and an RBI.

Eagle reliever Steve Cishek (2-4) gets the victory, working the last 1.2 innings of play. The loss was charged to Pioneer reliever Mat Galens (2-1).

Carson-Newman 11, Tusculum 3

GREENVILLE, S.C. - Carson-Newman scored 10 runs over the first four innings of play as the second-seeded Eagles defeated the top-seed Tusculum 11-3 on Sunday afternoon at the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament at Municipal Stadium. Carson-Newman (34-18) forces a second championship game with Tusculum (34-18) starting at approximately 4:15 p.m.

In the first, Tusculum threatened to dent the scoreboard when Paul Finger hit a would-be single to right. However, Eagle rightfielder Jason Gray made a diving catch to end the inning.

In the Carson-Newman half of the first, Landgdon Potts walked and Brandon Burchfield followed with an infield single. Nick Achberger continued his hot hitting by doubling down the line in left to plate Potts with the first run of the inning. Jason Gray singled both runners home with a solid single back up the middle to give the Eagles an early 3-0 lead.

The Eagles extended their lead to 4-0 in the second when Achberger drove in his second run of the game with a RBI single through the left side.

In the third, Carson-Newman catcher Jim Doran doubled down the right-field line to plate a run while Cory McGinnis followed with a doubled down the line in left to plate Doran. Brandon Burchfield singled home a run while Achberger, who had a 3-for-4 day at the plate, notched his third RBI of the game, singling home a run.

Burchfield and McGinnis joined Achberger with three hits apiece. Finger went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Eagle starter Brett Hontz (3-1) went the distance, allowing only two earned runs while striking out five. The loss was charged to Pioneer starting pitcher Michael Handley (5-1).

Carson-Newman 4, Wingate 0

GREENVILLE, S.C. - Matt Teague tossed a complete-game shutout as the second-seed Carson-Newman advanced to the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship with a 4-0 victory over Wingate on Sunday morning at Municipal Stadium.

The Eagles (33-18) will face Tusculum at 1:00 p.m. in the championship game. Wingate (24-30) is now eliminated from the tournament.

Teague (6-1) was dazzling on the mound, keeping the Bulldog hitters off-balance the entire game by recording 11 strikeouts. The loss went to Wingate starter Richard Allred (2-7).

In the second, Jim Doran drew a one-out walk and Adam Kefauver followed with a bunt single. After both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, Mills Rogers would draw a walk to load the bases. Another wild pitch Allred scored Doran from third to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

Wingate had an opportunity to tie the game in the sixth. Aaron Knowles doubled into the gap in left-center and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. However, Matt Teague got Nick Siega-Riz to strike out to end the inning.

In the Eagle sixth, Nick Achberger reached base after being hit-by-a-pitch. Jim Doran would drive in Achberger with a single to right to make it a 2-0 game.

Carson-Newman went up 4-0 in the eighth when Achberger crushed a pitch of Wingate pitcher Josh Benton for a two-run homerun.

Achberger was the leading hitter for Carson-Newman, going 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two runs driven in.