The Covenant baseball team could not hold to a one-run lead in the late innings as host Carson-Newman rallied for an 8-5 victory over the Scots on Tuesday afternoon.
It is the second consecutive year that Covenant (7-8) has played at the NCAA Division II member Carson-Newman (13-6).
Covenant had six hits in the contest, snapping a string of seven straight games in which the team tallied at least 10 hits, but made the few hits count. The Scots grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a CJ Edmond two-run home run to right field.
The homer was Edmond's second of the year.
After Carson-Newman got a run back in its half of the first, the Scots responded with a run in the top of the second. Christian Murray delivered a two-out, RBI triple that scored Daniel Johnson all the way from first giving Covenant a 3-1 lead. Carson-Newman scored three runs in the second to take a 4-3 lead, but Covenant was right back at it in the third when Tyler Moore tripled home Joel Johnson with two outs to tie the score at 4-4.
In the fifth, Joel Johnson blasted a solo home run to left-center field, his first of the year, to give the lead back to the Scots at 5-4.
That lead held until the seventh when the host Eagles evened the score at 5-5 on a Jose Quintana sacrifice fly. In the eighth, Carson-Newman put together four hits, including three RBI singles, to take an 8-5 lead.
Six players had a hit apiece for the Scots as Edmond finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Joel Johnson extended his hitting streak to nine games with the homer and went 1-for-4 with two runs scored.
The midweek game saw six Covenant pitchers take the mound. Andrew Cline made his first start of the year and went an inning. Ross Skipper and Conor Austin each threw two scoreless frames in the middle innings. Tyrique Wilmore (0-1) got the loss after going 1.1 innings.
Greg Valentine (5-0) picked up the win in relief for Carson-Newman as he went 1.2 innings. Will Gardner notched his seventh save of the year and struck out the side in the ninth. Cade Sapp went 3-for-5 at the plate to lead the Eagles.
Covenant returns to USA South play on Thursday when it opens a three-game series against Piedmont at home. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.