April 7, 2011

Carson-Newman splits a pair of shutouts with Tusculum, 2-0 and 0-1

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Junior Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.) fired a four-hit shutout in game one to lift Carson-Newman to a South Atlantic Conference split with visiting Tusculum College on Thursday afternoon at the Lady Eagles Softball Complex. C-N won the first game 2-0, but fell in the second, 1-0.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Junior Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.) fired a four-hit shutout in game one to lift Carson-Newman to a South Atlantic Conference split with visiting Tusculum College on Thursday afternoon at the Lady Eagles Softball Complex. C-N won the first game 2-0, but fell in the second, 1-0.

With the win, C-N moved to 31-12-1 and 9-3 in SAC play, while TC moves to 27-12 and 8-4 in league play.

Game 1: Carson-Newman 2, Tusculum 0

In the first game, junior pitcher Mary Shealy fired a complete-game four-hitter to lead the Lady Eagles to a 2-0 victory.

Shealy had four strikeouts and just one walk in seven innings of work.

Tusculum starting hurler Erin Searcy (Coolidge, Ga.) also had a stellar outing despite picking up the loss. Searcy (12-9) gave up two runs and six hits and fanned seven batters in six innings in the circle.

Sophomore catcher Bri Shoemake (Ooltewah, Tenn.) went 2-for-3 to lead the Lady Eagles at the plate, while senior Amber Hewitt (Ringgold, Ga.) added a solo home run and senior Whitney Kee (Knoxville, Tenn.) provided a RBI single.

Freshman center fielder Katie Brennan (Manassas, Va.) went 2-for-2 for the Pioneers.

The Lady Eagles struck first in the opening frame. Dariayn Wright (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and later scored when Kee lined a single to left field to give C-N a 1-0 lead.

C-N added to its lead in the fifth, as senior Hewitt delivered a solo home run to left field to give the Lady Eagles a 2-0 advantage.

Shealy allowed just one hit over the final two innings to seal the win.

Game 2: Tusculum 1, Carson-Newman 0

The Pioneers scored the only run of the game in the top of the sixth inning when Savannah Ewing led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice, took third on an error and scored on a single by Kimbrough.

Johnson (14-3) threw her fifth shutout of the season for the Pioneers, scattering six hits and striking out three. Shealy (28-10) allowed just four hits but walked three and struck out four in the loss for the Eagles.

Tusculum threatened in the top of the fourth, putting runners at first and second with no outs, but Shealy pitched out of trouble by getting a strikeout and two infield grounders.

Carson-Newman nearly took the lead in the bottom of the inning, but Stuckwish threw out Kim Whaley as she tried to score from second on a single by Sara Kelley for the final out of the frame.

In the fifth, the Pioneers advanced a runner to third base with one out, but failed to score when she was ruled to have left early on a fly ball to right by Taylor MacDonald.

After the Pioneers took a 1-0 lead, the Eagles put the leadoff batter on in both the sixth and seventh innings but Johnson allowed no further advance in either inning.

Lindsey Umberger accounted for half of the Pioneers' four hits in game two as she went 2-for-2 with a sacrifice. Whaley was 2-for-3 for the Eagles, including a double.

-C-N-