Eagles tackle Saints at The Vick, close out February home slate
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In a month marred by rain, sleet and snow, Carson-Newman (6-2) hits the diamond at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex for the final time in February.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final (9) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 3 |
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0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
4 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 13 | 1 |
|
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2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
VIDEO: Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Interview
The Eagles opponent is Limestone (7-3). First pitch Saturday is 1 p.m.
"This is tough because we haven't felt like we've been able to get in a rhythm," head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said of back-to-back-to-back seven-day layoffs between games. "We're trying to fight for consistent play, but you can't even fight for that consistency because of the weather."
Limestone represents head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield's 1000th career victory, which came back in 2014. The Eagles knocked off the Saints 10-0 in a run rule win in the second game of a doubleheader to give Kazee-Hollifield her 1000th career win.
C-N has dominated Conference Carolinas over the last three seasons. The Eagles are 39-4 against the league since the 2013 season. Erskine swept a doubleheader from the Eagles in Due West last season. C-N dropped games to Coker and Queens in 2013 the year before they joined the SAC.
Carson-Newman has shut out Limestone in 15 of the 25 meetings all-time between the programs. The Eagles are 24-1 all-time against the Saints and have won 11 straight in the series dating back to Limestone's only win against C-N, a 4-2 triumph in 2010.
"Even last year, you could tell they were turning a corner," Kazee-Hollifield said. "They are well coached. They pitch the ball effectively and hit the ball well. You win two out of three categories and you can win on any day."
The Saints are 4-2 against the SAC this season with a pair of run rule losses to Lenoir-Rhyne and doubleheader sweeps of Brevard and Lincoln Memorial.
Limestone is hitting .260 as a team this year. Caroline Hill leads the offense with a .483 average. She also has the team highs for doubles (3), home runs (3), runs batted in (11) and total bases (26). Hill is slugging .897 this year and has yet to strikeout this season.
Josie Weber is the standout in the circle for Limestone. She touts a 4-1 record with a 1.57 ERA. Weber has gone the distance four times in her five starts this season. She has struck out 23 across 28.2 innings of work and opponents are just batting .183 against her.
Weber's lone loss of the season came against Lenoir-Rhyne. She shutout both Brevard and St. Andrews. Aside from the contest with L-R, she has yet to allow more than two runs in a game.
All-American Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) leads Carson-Newman's offense with a .400 average and a quartet of doubles.
Carson-Newman will seek to get a handle on its defensive security this weekend. The Eagles have committed 14 errors on the season and have a team .944 fielding percentage. Five of those errors have come from Carson-Newman's pitching staff and three more from Eagle outfielders. Of the 28 runs teams have scored on C-N this season, only 13 have been earned.
First pitch between the Eagles and Saints Saturday is set for 1 p.m. from The Vick. The contest will be available on the Eagle Sports Network with a free high definition stream at cneagles.com/live.
