Lady Eagles Sweep Lincoln Memorial, 3-2 And 6-4, In SAC Softball Action Tuesday
HARROGATE, Tenn.- Carson-Newman (25-2, 6-0 SAC) remained one of two undefeated teams in South Atlantic Conference play Tuesday afternoon as it swept Lincoln Memorial (22-12, 2-6 SAC) 3-2 and 6-4 at Neely Field. The Lady Eagles are tied with Lenoir-Rhyne which is currently 35-5 and 8-0 in the league.
HARROGATE, Tenn. - Carson-Newman (25-2, 6-0 SAC) remained one of two undefeated teams in South Atlantic Conference play Tuesday afternoon as it swept Lincoln Memorial (22-12, 2-6 SAC) 3-2 and 6-4 at Neely Field. The Lady Eagles are tied with Lenoir-Rhyne which is currently 35-5 and 8-0 in the league.
Game One- Carson-Newman 3, Lincoln Memorial 2 - Box
Score
Lincoln Memorial got on the board with a run in the bottom of the
second. Heather Baker (Broadway, Va.) led off the inning with a
solo home run down the left field line to break the scoreless tie.
The Lady Eagles loaded the bases in the top of the third and brought senior first baseman Sara Little (Calhoun, Ga.) to the plate. Little reached on an error by the second baseman, driving in sophomore right fielder Cassidy Skeen (Powell, Tenn.) and junior left fielder Leah Price (Spring City, Tenn.) to give C-N a 2-1 lead.
Carson-Newman added to their advantage in the top of the fifth to make the score 3-1. Freshman catcher Bri Shoemake (Ooltewah, Tenn.) singled up the middle with two outs, bringing up Little. Little then doubled down the right field line, scoring Shoemake from first.
The Lady Railsplitters got a run back in the bottom of the fifth, closing the gap to 3-2. With no outs and the bases loaded, Meg Ryan (Hendersonville, Tenn.) was hit by a pitch, scoring Jackie Adams (Columbus, Ohio). LMU loaded the bases again with two outs, but C-N retired the side.
Carson-Newman got two base runners with one out in the top of the seventh but couldn’t add to their lead. Lincoln Memorial had the opportunity to win the game in bottom of the seventh frame as it had runners on first and second, but wasn’t able to capitalize.
Junior Ashley Boyd (Chattanooga, Tenn.) picked up the win in the circle for the Lady Eagles to move to 15-0 on the year while sophomore Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.) got her third save in as many appearances in relief.
LMU’s Meghan LaFevor (Columbia, Tenn.) went the distance in the loss, falling to 13-5 on the season.
Game Two – Carson-Newman 6, Lincoln Memorial 4
(eight innings) - Box
Score
Carson-Newman stranded five runners over the course of the first
four innings including runners at second and third with one out in
the top of the fourth.
The Lady Eagles struck first with two runs in the top of the fifth. With Price and senior shortstop Jessie Howard (Knoxville, Tenn.) on first and second, Skeen sacrificed to move both runners into scoring position. A pair of back-to-back singles by Shoemake and Little drove in Price and Howard respectively, giving C-N a 2-0 advantage. However, three stranded runners would be regretted by the Lady Eagles.
LMU bounced back in the bottom of the fifth. After Baker drew a leadoff walk, Joy Grills (West Salem, Ohio) blasted a home run to left centerfield to tie the contest at two runs apiece. The Lady Railsplitters threatened to score more, but C-N held off the rally.
Lincoln Memorial threatened to end the game in the bottom of the seventh, but the Lady Eagle defense held and forced extra innings.
Carson-Newman jumped on its opportunity to win the game in the eighth. Junior second baseman Amber Hewitt (Ringgold, Ga.) was placed on second base per the International Tie-Breaker Rule to start the inning. Shealy reached safely on a bunt to the pitcher to put runners on first and third with no outs.
With sophomore Kim Whaley (Maryville, Tenn.) pinch running for Shealy, junior centerfielder Whitney Durham (Rossville, Ga.) singled down the left field line, scoring Hewitt. Junior third baseman Whitney Kee (Knoxville, Tenn.) belted a three-run shot to right centerfield, giving the Lady Eagles a 6-2 lead.
In the bottom half of the inning, LMU’s Ashley Knight (Palm Harbor, Fla.) hit a lead-off triple to right field, scoring Bridget Eicher (Hicksville, Ohio), who had been placed on second base. With one out, Grills grounded out to second scoring Knight and C-N held on for the 6-4 victory.
C-N’s Boyd (16-0) picked up her second win of the day, this time in relief while LaFevor fell to 13-6 with the complete game loss.
Carson-Newman will return to action tomorrow when it travels to Bristol, Tenn., to take on King. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.
