SALISBURY, N.C. – In a pair of hotly contested contests, the Carson-Newman Eagles (22-8, 3-3 South Atlantic Conference) lost 2-1 and 7-5 to the Catawba Indians (21-6, 6-0 SAC) Saturday afternoon at Whitley Field.
GAME ONE – Catawba 2 Carson-Newman 1
The Eagles plated the game's first run in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, senior shortstop Brittany Hefner (Talbott, Tenn.) clubbed her fourth home run of the season on a 1-1 pitch to make it 1-0 Carson-Newman.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Catawba gained the lead. Two walks and a single loaded the bases for the Indians with two outs in the frame. On a 3-2 pitch, catcher Taylor Adams singled to score two runs and give the home club a decisive 2-1 advantage.
Carson-Newman was held to just four hits in the contest as Hefner, senior third basemen Sara Kelley (Ootlewah, Tenn.), senior first basemen Caitlyn Lance (East Ridge, Tenn.) and junior outfielder Brittany Bass (Auburn, Ga.) collected knocks.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Sarah Howard (Georgetown, Ky.) fell to 10-5 on the year hurling her tenth complete game of the season. Howard went six innings and allowed two earned runs, six hits, three walks while striking out one.
GAME TWO – Catawba 7 Carson-Newman 5
Carson-Newman jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Sophomore left fielder Kelli Hensley (Knoxville, Tenn.) led off the game with an infield single. Two batters later, Kelley laced a double to right center field to plate Hensley. Hefner singled to put runners at the corners for the Eagles. An error by the second basemen allowed Kelley and Hefner to score and give the visiting club a 3-0 lead.
Catawba answered the Eagles big inning with a five-spot in the third inning. Back-to-back base hits started the inning. After a ground out, the home team tallied two runs on a pair of singles to make it a 3-2 game. Howard came in to pitch in relief of sophomore Kalyn Davis (Danville, Ky.) and promptly gave up a three-run home run to designated player Carley Tysinger that gave the Indians a 5-3 lead.
Lance doubled to right center with one out in the top of the fourth inning and scored after a pair of wild pitches to pull the Eagles within a run.
The Indians got the run back in the bottom half of the inning, but the Eagles once again responded in the top of the sixth frame. Kelley blasted her fifth round-tripper of the season on a 1-0 pitch with one out in the inning to make it a 6-5 game.
Catawba added a run in the sixth inning to send the Eagles on their way with a second straight loss. It marked just the second time this year that Carson-Newman has lost consecutive games. The other occasion came during a four game losing streak in the Mid-South Classic.
Kelley and Hefner each went 2-for-3 in the second affair of the day. Davis fell to 10-3 on the year after working 2.1 innings and allowing four earned runs on five hits with one strikeout.
Carson-Newman makes the journey to Misenheimer, N.C. Sunday afternoon for a doubleheader against Pfeiffer University with the first pitch in game one scheduled for 1 p.m.
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