Carson-Newman welcomes Mars Hill to town for a pivotal clash
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – RV Carson-Newman (27-8, 6-4 SAC) closes out a loaded seven-day span with a crucial doubleheader with Mars Hill (24-6, 5-1 SAC).
Game 1
Game 1
| Final (8) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
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0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final (8) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
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0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 0 |
VIDEO: In The Booth vs Mars Hill (Game 1)
VIDEO: In The Booth vs Mars Hill (Game 2)
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – RV Carson-Newman (27-8, 6-4 SAC) closes out a loaded seven-day span with a crucial doubleheader with Mars Hill (24-6, 5-1 SAC).
Following a scorching 17-2 start to the season in February, C-N stumbled when the calendar flipped to March, but has found a groove.
The Eagles are 10-6 in March, including a 6-4 mark in conference play, and have won five straight contests, including a sweep of Milligan on Thursday, 11-2 in game one, and overcame an early deficit to win 11-4 in the second half of the twin bill. During the win streak, C-N is outscoring opponents 45-13.
"It's always nice when you get a chance to play a lot of different kids that you know you don't normally get to play a lot," Graves said. "What was really nice is we fell behind that second game a little bit, and getting to see those kids that, you know, you got different people playing different positions, and maybe not in the same batting order and everything, but, you know, they stuck together, and they come through, and they chipped away here and chipped away there, and then ended up pulling away. So that was nice to see out of a bunch of new faces."
It has been a tale of two games to start SAC play. In the losses, the Eagles have been outscored 19-12, while in the wins, they have a 50-11 edge on the scoreboard. They split their first four SAC doubleheaders before sweeping Tusculum.
Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) has cemented herself as one of the best hitters in Carson-Newman history, and now SAC history. On Thursday, she became the all-time RBI record in South Atlantic Conference history, passing Kayson Boatner's (Anderson 2019-23) previous record of 239 with a bottom-of-the-sixth RBI double to score Abbi Martin.
"I never wanted to transfer. They asked me a long time ago, 'Why didn't you go D1?' and all that stuff? Because this was home," Bailey said. "I knew that I loved my teachers. I love my professors, I love the program, and I wanted to make a difference here, and I feel like I've done that. My dad taught me to stick with something. You don't just give up or quit or leave when you think you're better than something, because you're not. The program is the way it is because people stay, and they get better."
The senior has been one of the best hitters in the SAC and the Southeast this season. She leads the SAC with a .496 average and 50 RBIs this season. She has also added five home runs this season.
Addie Saunders (Radford, Va.) and Grace Gregory (White House, Tenn.) have been sizzling as of late.
The sophomore Saunders is 14-for-24 in her last nine games and has reached base in all of them. She is second on the Eagles with a .426 batting average and a .500 on-base percentage. Additionally, Saunders has 14 multi-hit games, doubling her total from last season.
Gregory posted a four-hit, six-RBI outing in the second game at Tusculum. The senior leads the Eagles with six home runs, tied for fifth in the SAC, and second with 35 RBIs, fourth in the SAC. On the week, she is 6-for-8 at the plate with eight RBIs, five runs scored and three extra-base hits.
Atiana Stamper (Knoxville, Tenn.) has been a workhorse with seven complete games and has gone the distance in her last three starts. On the season, she is 8-3, fourth in the SAC with a 2.15 ERA and fifth with 77 strikeouts. She is holding opponents to a .191 average.
A surprise addition to the staff has been the emergence of Regan Rowan (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.). The sophomore has won her last three appearances, including back-to-back starts against Tusculum and Milligan. Through 11.2 innings this season, she has struck out 14, allowing eight hits and no earned runs.
Mars Hill enters with a 24-6 record and 5-1 mark in conference play, good for second in the SAC standings. The Lions have won their last four contests, most recently a sweep of Coker on March 21st and will play their first game in seven days.
Kamryn Akins is the ace in the circle for the Lions, sitting inside the top two of the SAC in the major pitching categories. She holds a 1.39 ERA, best in the conference, 11-1 on the year, tied for second in wins, and 99 strikeouts, tied for first.
Freshman Sadie Cecil paces the offense with a .440 average and 36 RBIs, both third in the conference. She also has five home runs this year.
A pair of seniors, Bri Weimer and Camryn Sterling, adds more threats to the offensive attack.
Weimer is second on the team with a .407 average and 33 RBIs, but leads the Lions with six long balls this season. Sterling is batting an even .400 this year, third on the team. She has tallied a pair of home runs, driving in 19 runs.
Carson-Newman will clash with Mars Hill for the 83rd and 84th time. The Eagles lead the all-time series with a 72-10 record against the Lions. Last year, Mars Hill swept C-N at home with a 5-4 win in game one, followed by a 10-5 victory in the second contest.
It's a crucial pair of games as the Lions sit above the Eagles in the SAC standings. Game one is slated for a 1:00 p.m. start at the Vickee-Kazee Hollifield Softball Complex. Fans can watch the game with a FloSports subscription, listen to the game on cneagles.com/live or watch the In The Booth feed on the Carson-Newman Eagle Sports Network YouTube channel.
