No. 22 Carson-Newman Blanks Lincoln Memorial, 6-0, in Food Lion SAC Tournament
Wingate, N.C. — Carson-Newman scored six runs on seven hits and the Eagles benefitted from six Lincoln Memorial errors in a 6-0 first round victory in the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament Thursday at the Wingate University Softball Complex.
Wingate, N.C. — Carson-Newman scored six runs on seven hits and the Eagles benefitted from six Lincoln Memorial errors in a 6-0 first round victory in the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament Thursday at the Wingate University Softball Complex.
Eagle sophomore pitcher Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.) pitched a complete game for Carson-Newman (34-8 overall).
The No. 22 team in this week's National Fastpitch Coaches Association top 25 poll, Carson-Newman will face Newberry College Friday morning at Wingate. Lincoln Memorial (27-22 overall) will battle Tennessee rival Tusculum College in an elimination game Friday morning at Forest Hills High School in Marshville, N.C. Both contests will begin at 9 a.m.
Shealy (13-4) took care of business in the circle. In seven innings, she struck out seven and walked five. Shealy allowed five singles and one double to the LMU Railsplitters. The complete game is her team-best 14th of the season.
The Eagles posted two unearned runs on one hit and two LMU errors in the bottom of the first inning, giving Shealy all the support she would need. Carson-Newman added two more in the third inning to take a 4-0 advantage. Eagle junior center fielder Whitney Durham (Rossville, Ga.) had an RBI single in the frame; another run scored on an LMU throwing error.
Carson-Newman senior shortstop Jessie Howard (Knoxville, Tenn.) singled to start the fourth inning. She moved to second and third on a throwing error and a passed ball, respectively. Sophomore right fielder Cassidy Skeen (Powell, Tenn.) contributed an RBI groundout to score Howard and make the score 5-0 Eagles.
In the sixth inning, junior left fielder Leah Price (Spring City, Tenn.) singled and stole second base to open the stanza. She moved to third on a Howard groundout. Price scored on an LMU error.
Price led the Eagles with a two-for-three plate performance. She scored one run and stole two bases. Howard was one of five Carson-Newman players to post one hit each. The senior shortstop also stole her team-best 31st base of the season.
Lincoln Memorial senior catcher Devin Sponseller (Delaware, Ohio) was two-for-two with two walks for the 'Splitters. Freshman pitcher Meghan LaFevor (Columbia, Tenn.) took the loss, falling to 17-12 overall. She gave up five runs (only one earned) on five hits. LaFevor struck out one and walked three in four innings of work.
