Lady Eagles collect sweep of Catawba, 10-2 and 5-2
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman softball team picked up a pair of South Atlantic Conference wins on Friday afternoon with a sweep of Catawba College. The Lady Eagles cruised to a 10-2 victory in six innings in game one and claimed a 5-2 victory in the second game at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman softball team picked up a pair of South Atlantic Conference wins on Friday afternoon with a sweep of Catawba College. The Lady Eagles cruised to a 10-2 victory in six innings in game one and claimed a 5-2 victory in the second game at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex.
With the sweep, the Lady Eagles improve to 21-8-1 on the season and 3-1 in the conference. Catawba falls to 17-12-1 overall and 0-2 in SAC play.
In the first game, junior Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.) broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run home run in the fourth, and the Lady Eagles never looked back as they cruised to a 10-2 victory.
Shealy also surrendered just one earned run and six hits and had three strikeouts in six innings of work to earn the win in the circle.
The Lady Eagles tallied seven hits for the game, including a double each from Amber Hewitt (Ringgold, Ga.) and Kim Whaley (Maryville, Tenn.). Sophomore catcher Bri Shoemake (Ooltewah, Tenn.) also had a hit and three RBIs, while freshman Dariayn Wright (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) chipped in a hit and scored three runs.
Catawba collected seven hits. Designated player Kayla Myers (Bryson City, N.C.) went 2-for-3 to lead the way, while Carly Sabat (Warren, Ohio) had a triple and Alli Justice (Bishopville, Md.) contributed a double and a RBI.
Indians starting hurler Brittany Murray (Asheboro, N.C.) was tagged with the loss. Murray (9-6) gave up five earned runs and four hits and walked five batters in 4 1/3 innings of work. She also had two strikeouts.
Catawba took a 1-0 lead in the first, as Meyers singled down the left-field line and later scored on an error.
C-N answered in the home half of the inning to knot the contest at 1-1. After Wright walked to lead off the inning and stole second, Hewitt laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Wright to third base. Whitney Kee (Knoxville, Tenn.) then drove in Wright with a sacrifice bunt.
The Indians regained the lead in the third on a RBI double by Justice, but the Lady Eagles took the lead for good with three runs in the fourth, including Shealy's two-run home run.
C-N added two more runs in the fifth. Shoemake delivered a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to drive in Leah Price (Spring City, Tenn.). Whaley later drew a bases loaded walk to give the Lady Eagles a 6-2 advantage.
The Lady Eagles put the game away in the sixth with a four-run outburst, including a two-run double by Hewitt and a two-run single by Shoemake.
In the second contest, Shoemake's RBI double to left field gave the Lady Eagles a 3-2 win, as C-N went on to complete the sweep with a 5-2 victory.
C-N pounded out 10 hits in the contest, including two each from Shoemake, Shealy, Hewitt and Price.
The Indians managed just four hits. Myers led the way with a pair of hits, including a solo home run.
Shealy (18-6) turned in another stellar performance to earn her second win of the day. The right-hander gave up one earned run and scattered four hits across seven innings of work. She also fanned four batters.
Catawba starting pitcher Emily Huneycutt (Locust, N.C.) picked up the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings in the circle.
Myers put the Indians on the board first in the opening frame as she singled and then rounded the bases on a fielding error to give Catawba a 1-0 lead.
The Lady Eagles tied the game in the second on a RBI single by Hewitt, but Myers responded for the Indians in the third with a solo blast to left field to give Catawba a 2-1 lead.
However, C-N added a run in each the third and fourth innings to take the lead for good. Shealy came through with a RBI double in the third, and Shoemake gave C-N a 3-2 lead with a run-scoring double in the fourth.
Shoemake gave the Lady Eagles a pair of insurance runs in the sixth as she sent a towering two-run home run to left field.
The Lady Eagles return to action on Saturday at Georgia Southwestern. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.
