Vickee Kazee-Hollifield postgame interview
Cassie Lyons postgame interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (28-12, 7-7 South Atlantic Conference) managed to pick up a win over the reigning national pitcher of the week, but the Eagles split with league-leading Wingate (29-13, 11-3 SAC) after dropping the night cap Saturday at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
The Eagles won game won 3-1 and lost the second 3-0.
"In game two we got overpowered, it's quite frustrating because of the type of hitting team that we have, we didn't show it in the second game," Carson-Newman head softball coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "I didn't like the cuts, the pitch selection or the bat speed we had in game two."
Carson-Newman handed Wingate pitcher Stacey Houser – the league leader in wins – her sixth loss of the season with the win in game one while Cassie Lyons (Knoxville, Tenn.) collected her third win in the circle.
"That's just Cassie Lyons. She will give full effort no matter where she plays. She'll outwork anyone and she certainly gave us a chance to win that first one."
Game one: Carson-Newman 3, Wingate 1
Wingate opened the game with a lead in thanks to a botched sacrifice fly that scored a run but also resulted in a double play.
The Eagles knotted the game in the third when Kelli Hensly (Knoxville, Tenn.) led off the inning with her nation-best eighth triple. Then Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) belted her in with a gutbuster up the middle.
Carson-Newman would capture the lead in the fourth. A Hensley infield single to second would plate Brittany Bass (Duluth, Ga.) from third.
The Eagles added an insurance run in the sixth off a soft Sara Kelley (Ooltewah, Tenn.) flare to left center dropped in no man's land in betwixt the Bulldogs' shortstop and center and leftfielders. As a result, Siebert scored from third after she had reached on an error by the centerfielder.
Lyons retired the Bulldogs in order in the seventh to move to 3-0 on the year. Houser was shackled with the loss to drop to 18-6.
Game two: Wingate 3, Carson-Newman 0
Carson-Newman and Wingate cruised along through five scoreless innings in game two before the Bulldogs used a Taylor Laskey homer to right and a Katie McLaurin double to the wall in left center gave Wingate all the runs it would need.
The Bulldogs added an insurance run in the seventh on an Olivia Smith fielder's choice to second.
Carson-Newman brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh after singles by Jessica Morgan (Ooltewah, Tenn.) and Haley Burnette (Rossville, Ga.), but Hensley struck out swinging to end the game.
Kalyn Davis (Danville, Ky.) took the loss to drop to 12-6. She pitched 4.2 innings of no-hit ball. Taylor Bates collected the win for the Wingate to improve to 9-7 on the year.
The Eagles are back at home Monday at 2 p.m. against Erskine.
