JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Kelli Hensley (Knoxville, Tenn.) had a pair of three-hit games and went six-of-nine at the dish with a trio of RBIs to power Carson-Newman (17-5) to a doubleheader sweep of GRU Augusta (11-16) Saturday afternoon at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
The Eagles picked up their first walk-off win of the season with a 4-3 triumph in nine innings in game one. A four-run sixth helped C-N to a 6-1 victory in game two.
Hensley is on a five-game hitting streak, four of which have been multi-hit days. She has back-to-back-back three hit games.
Game one: Carson-Newman 4, GRU Augusta 3 (nine innings)
Carson-Newman pulled out its first walk-off win of the season thanks to Kelli Hensley's triple in the ninth inning. Hensley plated the international-rule runner Audrey Woodby (Knoville, Tenn.) from second and Cassie Lyons (Knoxville, Tenn.) from first to pick up the win for the Eagles.
The win marks the second in three games where the Eagles rallied to pick up a victory.
The teams cruised along exchanging three straight scoreless innings before the Jaguars cracked the scoreboard in the fourth inning. Kristen Bagley doubled to right to bring in a runner from third to give GRU Augusta a short-lived lead.
The Eagles would dent the scoreboard in the bottom of the frame thanks to a Caitlyn Lance (East Ridge, Tenn.) double down the left field line to plate Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) from second.
The Jaguars got the lead back in the fifth inning with an Erin Rozier sacrifice fly to right field.
However, it would be the Eagles that hit the counter in the sixth to square up the game again when Lance drove in her second run of the day to score Sara Kelley (Ooltewah, Tenn.) from third.
The Jags brought the go-ahead run to second in the seventh, but a Rozier liner to second ended the threat. Carson-Newman could've ended the game in regulation. The Eagles loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh with a Hensley double and a Bass hit by pitch. However, Siebert and Kelley struck out to end the inning without the winning run coming across.
The Eagles got a pair of defensive assists from Siebert in right to squelch a Jaguar threat in the eighth. C-N moved the winning run to third on a sacrifice in the eighth, but a Jessica Morgan (Ooltewah, Tenn.) and Woodby struckout and popped up, respectively, to end the frame.
GRU Augusta brought in Hannah Vaughn in the top of the ninth on a Macy Terry single back to the circle. However, Vaughn's run didn't matter thanks to Hensley's walk-off triple to close the game.
Sarah Howard (Georgetown, Ky.) collected the win for the Eagles, firing the first 9.0 inning complete game for C-N since Mary Shealey in 2010. Howard improves to 7-3 on the year. Paige Deschaine took the loss for the Jags after tossing 12 strikeouts in 8.0 innings.
Both of Lance's RBI came with two out on the board. Hensley produced her 11th multi-hit game of the year. The Eagles are 11-0 when she gets at least two hits in a game.
Game two: Carson-Newman 6, GRU Augusta 1
A big sixth inning helped seal the second game for the Eagles and give Carson-Newman a 5-3 all-time series lead over the Jaguars.
Carson-Newman suffered through a pair of 1-2-3 innings in game two before pounding out four hits and two runs in the fifth.
A Lyons single to center loaded the bases with one out. Kelley sacrificed in Woodby from third with a fly out to right before a Brittany Hefner (Talbott, Tenn.) single to third brought around Hensley.
GRU Augusta plated its lone run in the sixth on a SAC fly before the Eagles' offense exploded to put the game away.
The Eagles started the sixth with three consecutive singles with one down the left field line from Haley Burnette (Rossville, Ga.) bringing in the first run of the inning.
Siebert came home on a wild pitch and Hensley singled to center to score Burnette to push the lead to 5-1. A Kelley double to center produced the final RBI and rounded out the scoring.
GRU Augusta put a runner on in the seventh, but three groundballs ended the game in favor of the Eagles.
Kalyn Davis moves to 8-2 with the win for the Eagles. She scattered 10 hits, but allowed just one run for the Eagles.
Haley Birkle was handed the loss for the Jaguars. Hensley produced her 12th multi-hit gave of the season with a three-for-four day at the plate. Sara Kelley added to her league-leading RBI tally with a pair of runs batted in; she has 29 for the season.
The Eagles hit the road Monday for a 1 p.m. doubledip at Bellarmine.
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