NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Lipscomb Bisons proved baseball is a game
where anything can happen Tuesday evening, as the Tennessee Tech
baseball team played eight strong innings but still fell to the
Nashville squad, 12-1.
The Bisons used one inning to do all their damage, scoring 10 runs on seven hits in the inning. Fourteen Lipscomb batters stepped to the plate in the fifth inning, using clutch two-strike hitting on several occassions to extend a one-run lead to 11.
Left fielder Chad Shannon led the Bisons with four RBI on two hits in four at bats. Right-handed pitcher Jacob Knott pitched six innings, allowing five hits, three walks, and one earned run.
The Golden Eagles played a close game, save for the one inning, actually outhitting Lipscomb 6-4 throughout the rest of the contest. Junior designated hitter Brandon Thomasson led the Tech hitters on the evening, grabbing two hits in four trips to the plate. He scored the lone Golden Eagle run after being driven in by senior center fielder Austin Wulf in the third inning.
James Abraham, a senior left fielder, continued his hot start to the season with two hits in four plate appearances. The Diamondhead, Miss., native is now batting .533 for the year with eight hits, two RBI, and three runs scored.
Two Tech pitchers made their Golden Eagle debuts in the contest, as junior JUCO righty Ross Spurgeon and redshirt sophomore right hander Byron Skinner combined for 3.2 innings of relief. Spurgeon recorded four strikeouts in just 1.2 innings pitched. He allowed just one earned run on two hits.
Skinner was a big plus for Tech, striking out four of seven batters faced over two innings. The righty allowed just one hit and one walk over the final two scoreless innings.
For the first time in three seasons, outfielder David Allen returned to the diamond for the Golden Eagles. After missing the previous two seasons due to injury, the redshirt sophomore entered the game in the seventh inning, replacing Austin Wulf in center field.
Also making his Tech debut was walk-on freshman catcher Tim Graham. The rookie backstop pinch hit for lead-off man in the ninth inning, drilling a hard grounder to the shortstop who made a good play to end the contest.
The Golden Eagles will return to action in a three-game home series when they host the Niagara Purple Eagles beginning on Friday (Feb. 22). The first contest is set to start at 3 p.m. CST with the Saturday first pitch to begin at 2 p.m. and the Sunday tilt to begin at 1 p.m.
