JEFFERSON CITY, TN - Lenoir-Rhyne baseball made a statement on Saturday, defeating regional contender Carson-Newman 6-4 and 8-4 to complete the weekend sweep.
Drew Beard had himself a day, going 5-for-6 with a run and two RBIs.
Preston Drebes picked up the win in game one while
Kellen Gradisar continued his strong season with a complete game win in game three.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Game One Final: #10 Lenoir-Rhyne 6, Carson-Newman 4
Game Two Final: #10 Lenoir-Rhyne 8, Carson-Newman 4
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (9-1, 5-1 SAC), Carson-Newman (8-5, 1-5 SAC)
Location: Jefferson City, Tenn. | Silver Diamond
STORY OF GAME ONE:
- After C-N jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second, LR responded with a five spot in the top of the third as Matt Procopio had a bases clearing double to give LR the lead.
- The Eagles cut the lead to 5-4 with a RBI ground out in the 4th inning and the game remained 5-4 until LR added an insurance in the 7th with a Mackenzie Wainwright RBI single.
- Hugo Tafoya got the start and went four innings allowing four runs (three earned) as Preston Drebes was outstanding in relief to pick up his second win of the week.
- Drebes went 3 2/3 scoreless inning out of the pen with five strikeouts.
- Jack Renaud got his second save of the weekend by getting the final four outs.
- Drew Beard was the only Bear with multiple hits as the outfielder went finished the game 2-for-2 with a walk.
STORY OF GAME TWO:
- Lenoir-Rhyne scored in five of the seven innings.
- An Andrew Stillinger 2 RBI single got the scoring going, and Trent Murchison continued to trend with a solo home run in the 3rd.
- Carson-Newman cut the lead to one in the fourth but the Bears put up three runs in the seventh to give them some breathing room and essentially seal the win.
- Drew Beard was 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the contest.
- Kellen Gradisar continued his stellar season, going all seven innings on the mount while allowing four runs, one walk, and striking out six.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- This was Lenoir-Rhyne's first series win over Carson-Newman since 2022 and the first series sweep since 2001.
- Mackenzie Wainwright extended his hit streak to 20 games with a hit in each contest.
UP NEXT: LR will travel to USC-Aiken for a mid-week game on Wednesday night. First pitch from Aiken, S.C. is scheduled for 6:00 PM.