JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (27-11, 6-6 South Atlantic Conference) will tangle with the top team in the South Atlantic Conference Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.. when Wingate (28-12, 10-2 SAC) comes to town.
The Eagles are looking for consistency in the circle. Carson-Newman has a 6.33 team ERA over its last three series. In addition, the Eagles have allowed no fewer than nine hits over their last six games.
Carson-Newman's bats have kept them in games throughout the year, as was evident in game two of Tuesday's doubleheader split with LMU when the Eagles rapped out 11 hits in a 9-5 victory.
"We were so frustrated with our hitting, that we as seniors had to sit down and say something," Carson-Newman senior slugger Sara Kelley (Ooltewah, Tenn.) said. "Our thought was just to swing hard, and we've finally been getting some hits."
The Eagles hope hits won't be at a premium Saturday when they battle with one of the top pitchers in the league – and arguably the nation. Wingate's Stacey Houser leads the SAC in wins (18) and is the reigning NFCA national pitcher of the week.
Houser went 3-0 with a 0.71 ERA last week, striking out 11 while tossing two complete games and notching a win in relief. She started her week by allowing only four hits in Wingate's 2-1 win over 14th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne in game one. She entered in relief in the second inning of game two, allowing only one run on five hits as The Bulldogs rallied for an 8-6 win after trailing 5-1 when Houser entered.
"They are well coached and they have a great pitching staff. We think it'll be a great game Saturday and are certainly excited to play them," Kelley said. We have to be patient and selective especially against Houser."
Kelley is chasing down her own milestones as her Eagle career comes to a close. Kelley already surpassed her teammate Bri Shoemake as the program's all-time leader in doubles with 53 (Shoemake had 51). Now, Kelley stares down the program's home run record. She needs a pair of blasts to catch Sarah Little's 33 dingers and three to surpass her.
However, those milestones matter not to Kelley if the Eagles falter.
"We have to have great energy from the first pitch and thrive off that," Kelley said. "That goes from seniors down to freshmen; we all have to feed of one another."
First pitch between the Eagles and Wingate is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday. Coverage will be available with a free HD stream at cneagles.com/live on the Eagle Sports Network .
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