Carson-Newman starts six-game road swing with trip to Newberry on Wednesday
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After stumbling initially out of the gates in South Atlantic Conference play, RV Carson-Newman (29-8, 8-4 SAC) carries its hot streak to end March into an April 1st trip to Newberry (12-18, 3-7 SAC).
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 3 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final (8) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 13 | 1 |
|
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 |
VIDEO: In The Booth at Newberry (Game 1)
VIDEO: In The Booth at Newberry (Game 2)
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After stumbling initially out of the gates in South Atlantic Conference play, RV Carson-Newman (29-8, 8-4 SAC) carries its hot streak to end March into an April 1st trip to Newberry (12-18, 3-7 SAC).
The Eagles took both games over the weekend against Mars Hill in eight innings, 2-1, in game one as Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) scored on a throwing error, and then she delivered the winning hit in the second meeting, 5-4.
After a .500 start through the first four doubleheaders in SAC play, C-N has won five consecutive games in conference play and is now riding a seven-game winning streak dating back to last week. It also closes out a week where the Eagles played eight games, going 7-1 in that span.
Head coach Michael Graves is pleased to see his team find ways to win, but they are just scratching the surface of their potential.
"I'm just glad that we're on this end of it this time, because it seems like several of our losses have been when we've been in that situation, and it's not fun, but good wins," Graves said. "I don't think we necessarily played real good in game two, but that's two conference double headers in a row where I don't think we've played good in game two and still won both."
Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) has been one of the best hitters in the SAC and the Southeast region this season. She leads the SAC with a .479 average and 50 RBIs this season. She has also added five home runs this season.
Last week against Milligan, she became the SAC's all-time leader in career RBIs, with 240, passing Kayson Boatner's (Anderson 2019-23) previous record, 239.
Adding to the offensive pressure has been the outfield duo of Addie Saunders (Radford, Va.) and Abbi Martin, along with third baseman Grace Gregory (White House, Tenn.).
Saunders is 17-for-32 in her last 11 games and has reached base in all of them. The sophomore has 15 multi-hit games, more than doubling her total from last season.
Martin picked up hits in five of the six games last week, including three multi-hit games and a pair of multi-RBI games. The senior has been enjoying a stellar year with a .410 batting average, 50 hits, 31 RBIs and a .457 on-base percentage, all career-best marks.
Gregory is coming off a week where she went 8-for-15 with 8 RBIs and a home run. The senior leads the team with six home runs and is tied for eighth in the SAC. Her 35 RBIs are the second-best on the Eagles and tied for fifth in the conference.
Atiana Stamper (Knoxville, Tenn.) continues to be a workhorse with eight complete games and has gone the distance in her last four starts, including her second 12-strikeout outing on Saturday against Mars Hill. She is the first freshman since Lacie Rinus in 2017 with multiple double-digit strikeout performances.
On the season, she is 9-3, third in the SAC with a 2.04 ERA and fourth with 89 strikeouts. She is holding opponents to a .186 average.
Newberry comes into the midweek matchup skidding. The Wolves have been swept in three of their last four SAC doubleheaders, most recently falling to Lincoln Memorial over the weekend, 9-5 in game one, and 8-7 in the second.
The team's most recent conference victory was this past Thursday against Coker, with a sweep.
Offensively, Samantha Clark paces the team with a .356 batting average, she has the team-best 36 hits and eight extra-base hits. She has one home run and is second on the team with 19 RBIs.
Lagging by two batting average points is Payton Little, with a .354 average. The junior is tied with Katie Henri for the team-high with a trio of home runs, and she also has 13 RBIs on the year. Haidyn Campbell is third with a .338 average but leads the Wolves with 21 RBIs.
In the circle, Newberry has struggled, possessing a 5.83 team ERA, last in the SAC. Natalie Wescott has been the most used pitcher with 21 appearances and 15 starts. She is 5-8 overall with a 4.57 ERA across 82.2 innings, tallying 42 strikeouts.
Carson-Newman and Newberry meet for the 73rd and 74th time on Wednesday. The Eagles lead the all-time series against the Wolves, 53-19. Last year, C-N took both games at home, an 11-3 run-rule in the opener, followed by a 13-9 victory in game two.
Game one in the Palmetto State is set for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch from the Smith Road Complex. Fans can watch the game on FloSports with a subscription, listen to it on cneagles.com/live or watch the In The Booth feed on the Carson-Newman Eagle Sports Network YouTube channel.
