NEWBERRY, S.C. – Carson-Newman College senior designated hitter Jason Lineberger hit a leadoff home run in the top of the ninth inning to give the Eagles a 9-8 win over two-time defending tournament champion Lenoir-Rhyne College to advance in the elimination bracket at the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference baseball tournament Saturday afternoon at Kirkland Field.

The two teams entered the bottom of the sixth inning tied 1-1. Lenoir-Rhyne then exploded for five runs to take a commanding 6-1 lead. Two one-out walks set the table for senior right fielder Paul Pope, who doubled both runners home. Three straight singles drove in one run and loaded the bases for senior designated hitter Israel Campbell. Campbell proceeded to double two Bears home for the fifth run of the inning.

The Eagles took no time in responding to the L-R rally with five runs of their own to knot the score at 6-6. After junior third baseman Ryan Haun led off the frame with a homer to left field, an error, double and a walk put an Eagle at every base. Senior right fielder Heath Mason singled home a run and junior shortstop Jared Hubbard knocked in the third Carson-Newman run of the inning with a sacrifice fly. Lineberger’s two-out, two-run double tied the game at 6-6.

Both squads traded two-run innings in their next two at bats for an 8-8 tie. After junior Ryan West held the Bears scoreless in the bottom of the eighth inning, Lineberger claimed hero status with his round-tripper in the ninth.

West notches his third win of the season with 2.1 innings of one-hit relief. Freshman Justin McLeymore went 1.2 innings, with his only hit and run allowed being Lineberger’s home run.

Carson-Newman (38-16) will await the loser of the Tusculum College-Catawba College matchup later today at 6 p.m. Lenoir-Rhyne ends its season with a 29-23 record.

Food Lion / SAC Spring Sports Festival – Game 12
Carson-Newman vs Lenoir-Rhyne College
Apr 27, 2002 at Newberry, S.C. (Kirkland Field)

Carson-Newman 9 (38-16)                 Lenoir-Rhyne College 8 (29-23)

Player                     AB R H BI    Player                     AB R H BI
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Jim Higgins 2b............. 6 2 2 0     Jarred Caputo ss........... 5 0 1 0
Wes Ward c................. 5 1 2 0     Dustin Day 3b.............. 5 0 0 0
Aaron Shaffer lf........... 4 1 2 1     Craig Sizemore 2b.......... 4 2 2 1
Heath Mason rf............. 4 1 2 1     Chip Bradford cf........... 3 2 1 0
Jared Hubbard ss........... 3 0 0 2     Paul Pope rf............... 5 2 2 3
Jason Southerland 1b....... 5 1 2 0     J.R. Hopf 1b............... 5 1 2 1
Jason Lineberger dh........ 5 1 3 3     Joe Nichols lf............. 5 1 1 0
Nathan Gravley cf.......... 4 0 0 0     Brian Tester c............. 3 0 2 0
Ryan Haun 3b............... 4 2 2 2     Israel Campbell dh......... 4 0 1 2
Derek Hommel p............. 0 0 0 0     Drew Lindley p............. 0 0 0 0
 John Wallace p............ 0 0 0 0      Gabriel Gragg p........... 0 0 0 0
 Ryan West p............... 0 0 0 0      Justin McLeymore p........ 0 0 0 0
Totals.................... 40 9 15 9    Totals.................... 39 8 12 7

Score by Innings                   R  H E
-------------------------------------------
Carson-Newman....... 010 000 521 - 9 15 2
Lenoir-Rhyne College 000 105 200 - 8 12 5
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E - Hubbard; Hommel; Caputo; Day 2; Sizemore; Tester. DP - Bears 2. LOB - Eagles 10;
Bears 8. 2B - Ward; Shaffer; Southerland; Linebarger; Caputo; Sizemore; Pope 2;
Hopf; Campbell. HR - Linebarger; Haun; Sizemore. SF - Hubbard 2; Haun. SB - Shaffer;
Mason. CS - Pope.

Carson-Newman                IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Derek Hommel .............. 5.1 8 6  6  3  2  0  0  0  0  23 26  4 8
John Wallace .............. 1.1 3 2  1  1  1  0  0  0  0   8  9  1 2
Ryan West W,3-3...........  2.1 1 0  0  0  4  0  0  0  0   8  8  1 2

Lenoir-Rhyne College         IP  H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drew Lindley .............. 6.0 10 6  2  2  2  0  0  0  0  28 31  6 7
Gabriel Gragg ............. 1.1  4 2  2  0  1  0  0  0  0   7  8  2 1
Justin McLeymore L,4-6..... 1.2  1 1  1  1  1  0  0  0  1   5  7  3 1

PB - Ward.
Strikeouts - Ward; Southerland 2; Haun; Caputo 2; Day; Sizemore; Pope; Nichols;
Campbell. Walks - Shaffer; Mason; Gravley; Sizemore; Bradford 2; Tester.

Start: 10 a.m. Time: 2:49 Attendance: 205
Lindley faced 5 batters in the 7th.