Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (20-6, 1-1 South Atlantic Conference) earned a doubleheader split with Coker (12-9, 1-1 SAC) to open up SAC play Saturday afternoon at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex. The Eagle gave up six unanswered runs in a 6-4 defeat in game one before rallying for a 4-0 shutout victory in the second half of the twin bill.
The single victory moves head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield to 1011 wins for her career and into a tie for 20th on the all-time wins list with Sandy Jerstad of Augustana (SD).
"We didn't have the energy like I'd like for a conference game," Kazee-Hollifield said. "That loss will sting. You hope it's a wakeup call because it's so highly competitive in our conference."
Carson-Newman and Coker are also split through their all-time series history 6-6. Six of the last seven meetings have been decided by a shutout.
"We played better the second game," Kazee-Hollifield said. "But in that first game, we didn't have a hit after the second inning, it felt like. We scored four and got fat and sassy. We can't do that. We have to come out ready to play and finish every inning."
Game one: Coker 6, Carson-Newman 4
Coker scored six unanswered runs to take the first game of the doubleheader from the Eagles. Four runs came with two outs on the board.
For the 10th time in 2014, Carson-Newman started out a game with a run in the first. Hensley came in to score off an RBI double to left from Sara Kelley (Ooltewah, Tenn.). The run batted in was her SAC-leading 35th of the season.
The Eagles would pad that lead in the second after back-to-back walks from Sarah Howard (Georgetown, Ky.) and Haley Taylor (Jefferson City, Tenn.). A Hensley single to third loaded the bases. That hit allowed Cassie Lyons (Knoxville, Tenn.) to clear them with a three-RBI double to left center.
Howard managed to strand a Cobra at third in each of the first three innings before she produced her first 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fourth.
Coker at last did work with its base runners in the fifth. With two out, the Cobras loaded the bases. Katelyn Szupello plunked a ball to center and brought Coker within a run with a bases clearing double. Howard struck out Bethany Sevek looking to end the frame with the tying run on second.
The teams traded scoreless frames in the sixth. Coker put another runner on third base in the seventh, but Howard couldn't strand her. Tyresha Ellis came in on a line drive to short from Szupello.
The Cobras would continue the two-out onslaught with a two-RBI triple from Sydney Weatherford to right.
Forced to bat in the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles got runners to first and second with singles up the middle and to right from Hensley and Kelley, respectively. A walk from Caitlyn Lance (East Ridge, Tenn.) leaded the bases with two outs. However, Szupello snatched a line drive in left from Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) to end the game.
Howard was handed the loss after surrendering the three runs in the seventh. She falls to 8-4 on the year.
Game two: Carson-Newman 4, Coker 0
The Eagles went to shutout town in game two thanks to the highly capable arm of Kalyn Davis (Danville, Ky.). The junior scattered five hits across seven innings to collect her sixth shutout of the season.
The Eagles got their scoring started when Hefner blasted the first pitch of the game she saw over the wall in left field in the second inning. The leadoff bomb marked the sixth time the Eagles have taken a lead in a game this year off a home run.
Davis worked back-to-back 1-2-3 innings before running into a spot of bother in the fourth. A Weatherford double to center and an Ellis single gave the Cobras a pair of base runners before the Eagles could record an out. However, Davis forced the Cobras to ground into a fielder's choice and fly out to get Carson-Newman out of the jam.
The Eagles would tag on to their lead in the bottom half of the frame as Hefner led off the frame with a 1-0 double to left. A Lance single the same direction got Hefner in an pushed the lead to two runs.
Carson-Newman wasn't done with its scoring though, Jessica Morgan (Ooltewah, Tenn.) hit her eighth career double to score Lance and extend the lead to 3-0.
C-N rounded out its scoring in the sixth after Brittany Bass tripled to lead off the inning. Morgan again produced the run with her second double of the game, this one to left. With her pair of doubles, Morgan becomes the third C-N player in the last two years with multiple doubles in a single game.
Coker never advanced a runner past second after they threatened in the fourth.
Davis improved to 10-2 on the year with the victory.
The Eagles continue conference play Wednesday afternoon at Brevard.
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