Kee's Single Lifts Lady Eagles to 6-5 Win Over USC Aiken in First Round of the NCAA Tournament
May 8, 2009
HICKORY, N.C. - After starting the game 0-for-3, sophomore Whitney Kee (Knoxville, Tenn.) responded by delivering the game-winning hit in the top of the ninth inning to lift seventh-seeded Carson-Newman past second-seeded University of South Carolina-Aiken 6-5 in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Southeast II Regional Softball Tournament on Friday in Hickory, N.C.
With runners on first and third and no outs, Kee ripped a single to right field, scoring Stephanie Templeton (Ringgold, Ga.) from third to put the Lady Eagles ahead 6-5. Templeton was then able to get the first three USC Aiken batters she faced in the bottom of the ninth out to seal the win.
"The last two or three weeks we have just had different people that have stepped up," C-N coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "That's one thing that has been so special about this team. It has just been a team effort. That's something those kids are going to remember."
With the victory, the Lady Eagles (30-15) advance to Saturday's winner's bracket final and will face the winner of No. 6 Georgia College and No. 3 Lenoir-Rhyne at 11 a.m. USC Aiken (34-15) will take on the loser of Georgia College/Lenoir-Rhyne at 1:30 p.m.
The Lady Eagles collected 13 hits on the day. Sarah Little (Calhoun, Ga.) went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs to lead C-N.
"Over the past few weeks, you could just see her gaining confidence," Hollifield said of Little. "I tell people that she is a threat every time she is in the batter's box."
Templeton also went 3-for-5 and had one RBI, while Brianne Coon (Orlando, Fla.) turned in a 3-for-4 effort. Whitney Durham (Rossville, Ga.) tallied two hits and scored two runs in the win.
The Pacers finished the game with 11 hits, including three each from Jennifer Day and Toni Flessate. Jessica Strickland added a pair of hits, including a solo home run. Flessate also led USC Aiken in RBIs with three.
Templeton (10-2) pitched all nine innings for the Lady Eagles to earn the win. The junior right-hander surrendered five runs on 11 hits and struck out four batters.
Flessate (18-7) was tagged with the loss after giving up six runs on 13 hits in nine innings of work. She finished with four strikeouts.
The Lady Eagles jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Junior Jessie Howard (Knoxville, Tenn.) led off the inning with an infield single and later scored on a Little double to center field.
USC Aiken knotted the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third inning, as Strickland launched a towering solo home run to left field.
C-N regained the lead in the top of the fifth. Coon drew a leadoff walk and later scored on a Durham infield single. Little then drove in her second run of the game by smashing a single to right field, scoring Durham from second to give the Lady Eagles a 3-1 advantage.
However, USC Aiken rallied to tie the game at 3-3 in the home half of the fifth on a two-run single by Flessate.
C-N went back ahead in the top of the seventh, as Templeton delivered a RBI double and Little mashed a run-scoring single to give C-N a 5-3 lead, but USC Aiken responded in the bottom of the inning with a pair of runs to send the game into extra innings.
USC Aiken had runners on second and third with no outs in the inning and down one run, but Templeton was able to get out of the situation without giving up the winning run. Flessate pulled the Pacers to within 5-4 on a RBI double to center field. Whitney Clary then tied the game by driving home Jennifer Day on a groundout to second base.
