SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Carson-Newman (13-3) sophomore outfielder Kelli Hensley (Knoxville, Tenn.) extended her hitting streak to 19 games, but the Eagles dropped a pair of one-run heartbreakers to Columbus State 4-3 (14-4) and Georgia College (10-4).
The Eagles had the tying run in scoring position in both games.
"We just weren't sharp today," Carson-Newman head softball coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "As a result, everything that could go wrong did go wrong in every area of a ball game. We didn't run the bases well; we didn't lay down bunts well."
Carson-Newman sees its seven-game winning streak come to a close with the losses.
"We have to use this as a teaching tool and forget these two games today (in preparation for Saturday's games)," Kazee-Hollfield said. "I was most displeased with our effort, and it's been a while since I've been that displeased."
Game one: Columbus State 4, Carson-Newman 3
Columbus State got the scoring rolling out of the gate with back-to-back two out singles to the outfield from Kristen Carr and Taylor Turner. Casey Googe and Morgan Staff came around to score for the Cougars.
The Eagles would crack back for a run in the top of the second inning thanks to a pair of Cougar errors by the second baseman Chandler Padgett. She booted a ball that allowed Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) to reach with one out. Then, with the bases loaded and two out, Brittany Bass (Auburn, Ga.) clambered aboard on a throwing error by Padgett that allowed Siebert to trot in from third.
The teams would swap scoreless innings the next three frames before CSU added some insurance in the fifth.
After a Nina Rubio single and a Suzanne Carney walk, Morgan Knight singled to left field and Rubio came in to score when Carney go caught in a 7-5-4-6 rundown trying to make it to third on the play. A Googe single to right brought in Knight and the Cougars would take a three-run cushion.
The Eagles rallied in the sixth, but could only get within a run. Sara Kelley (Ooltewah, Tenn.) and Siebert walked to lead off the frame. A one-out single from Kalyn Davis to left (Danville, Ky.) loaded the bases for the Eagles.
Haley Taylor (Jefferson City, Tenn.) pinch hit for the Eagles and knocked in two with a single in to left. However, Davis was caught heading to third with a strike from the leftfielder Carney. A Bass ground ball to the circle ended the threat for the Eagles.
After the Eagles forced the Cougars to leave two stranded in the bottom of the six, Kelli Hensley (Knoxville, Tenn.) extended her hitting streak to 18 games with a single to third base. An unsuccessful sacrifice by Jessica Morgan (Ooltewah, Tenn.) gave the Eagles their first out of the inning. Then, Brittany Hefner (Talbott, Tenn.) and Kelley lined out and grounded out, respectively, to end the game.
Sarah Howard (Georgetown, Ky.) took the loss to fall to 6-2 on the year. She gave up all four earned runs off eight hits in 4.1 innings of work. Howard struck out four – her first sub-five strikeout game in three appearances. Davis pitched 1.2 innings of one-hit shutout ball in relief.
Taylor Turner (6-5) picked up the win for the Cougars.
Game two: Georgia College 5, Carson-Newman 4
Georgia College started the game with runs in both the first and second innings. The Bobcats got their first run off a Hefner throwing error at short that allowed Whitney Okvist to score from third.
A leadoff home run in the second from Taylor Campbell was just the third that C-N's pitching staff had allowed all year, but the moon shot gave the Bobcats a 2-0 lead.
Carson-Newman would get a run back in the bottom half of the inning when Hensley drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to right field.
After two straight scoreless innings, the Bobcats would extend their lead to 3-1 in the top of the fifth on an Abi LeRoy single to center.
However, Carson-Newman would rally with a three-spot in the sixth to take the lead for the first time.
Back-to-back singles from Bass and Hensley plus a walk from Taylor loaded the bases for the Eagles. Kelley ripped a bases-clearing double to right to give the Eagles a one-run edge, albeit an edge that would be short-lived.
After back-to-back fly outs to begin the top of the seventh, Okvist and Danielle Bernstein hit singles to center and left. LeRoy doubled to left to tie the game; then, Whitney Horton roped a ball to second to give the Bobcats the lead.
Carson-Newman tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh. The Eagles loaded the bases with two out, but a ground ball to second from Taylor ended the contest.
Davis takes the loss for the Eagles in relief. She falls to 6-1 on the year. Carly Lewis gets the credit for the win for the Bobcats.
Carson-Newman left 13 base runners stranded in the contest – a season high.
The Eagles play two Saturday at the Mid-South Classic against no. 6 Armstrong Atlantic at 2 p.m. and UNC Pembroke at 4. Both games will be played at the Tyger River Park complex in Spartanburg, S.C.
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