Lady Eagles sweep Lander, 5-1 and 10-3
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman softball team got hot at the plate in Saturday's doubleheader with Lander. The Lady Eagles pounded out 28 hits on the day en route to a sweep of the Bearcats, winning game one 5-1 before claiming the second contest 10-3 at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman softball team got hot at the plate in Saturday's doubleheader with Lander. The Lady Eagles pounded out 28 hits on the day en route to a sweep of the Bearcats, winning game one 5-1 before claiming the second contest 10-3 at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex.
The Lady Eagles collected 14 hits in each game, which ties a season high.
With the sweep, C-N improves to 11-6-1 on the season. Lander drops to 9-7 overall.
In the first game, junior Kim Whaley (Maryville, Tenn.) went 3-for-4 at the plate, including a home run to lift C-N to a 5-1 victory.
Whaley also had a double in the win, which was her team-leading eighth this season.
Freshman Sara Kelley (Birchwood, Tenn.) went 3-for-3 for the Lady Eagles, while Bri Shoemake (Ooltewah, Tenn.) and Whitney Key (Knoxville, Tenn.) added two hits apiece.
Junior pitcher Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.) also provided the Lady Eagles with a stellar effort in the circle. Shealy picked up the win after surrendering on run and seven hits in seven innings of work. She also finished with five strikeouts.
Lander tallied seven hits in the loss, including a 2-for-3 effort from Rachelle Adkins.
Bearcats starting hurler Hayley Leissner (4-4) was tagged with the loss after giving up five runs on 14 hits. Leissner also struck out nine in the loss.
Lander didn't take long to get on the scoreboard, as Taylor Donson doubled to get things started and later scored on a double steal with Alyssa Hartley to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead.
Whaley sparked the Lady Eagles in the second inning as she lined a double to left center. After advancing to third on a Shealy single, Whaley sprinted home on a wild pitch to knot the game at 1-1.
Whaley then gave C-N the lead for good in the fourth winning with a solo blast to left field. Kelley then singled and later scored on an Amber Hewitt (Ringgold, Ga.) single through the right side to give the Lady Eagles a 3-1 advantage.
C-N added a run in both the fifth and sixth innings on a RBI singles by Kelley and Kee, respectively, to put the game out of reach.
In the second game, Shoemake and Hewitt each smashed a home run to lead C-N to a 10-3 victory.
Shoemake went 3-for-4 to lead the way, including a double, while Hewitt went 2-for-3 with a double. Kee, Shealy and Price also had two hits apiece for the Lady Eagles.
Lander managed just six hits, including two from Donson.
Shealy (8-4) earned her second win of the day by allowing three runs and six hits and fanning six batters in seven innings of work.
Bearcats starting pitcher Amanda Hamby picked up the loss. Hamby (2-2) allowed three runs on four hits in an inning of work.
Lander started game two in identical fashion as the first, scoring a run in the top of the first inning on a Donson single to take a 1-0 lead.
However, the Lady Eagles took control of the game in the home half of the inning with a three-run outburst. Hewitt tied the game with a solo home run, while Caitlyn Lance drove in Shoemake with a sacrifice fly to give C-N the lead. Whaley then produced a run-scoring single to push C-N's lead to 3-1.
The Lady Eagles added three more runs in the second to build a 6-1 lead, as Hewitt and Shoemake each delivered a RBI double in the inning.
Kelley added a run-scoring single in the third, and Price came through with a two-run single to push C-N's lead to 9-1.
After Donson delivered a solo home run and Jaime Presnell ripped a RBI single in the fourth to pull Lander to within 9-3, Shoemake put the game out of reach in the home half of the inning with a solo home run.
The Lady Eagles return to action on March 4-5 in the Mid-South Classic in Spartanburg, S.C. C-N will face Belmont Abbey and Armstrong Atlantic on March 4 and Glenville State and Francis Marion on March 5.
