MIDDLESBORO, Ky. – Kelli Hensley (Knoxville, Tenn.) became Carson-Newman's (33-17) all-time hits leader with her fourth, four-hit day of the year as C-N used an offensive outpouring to whip Brevard (22-25) 17-7 at the Jacket Softball Field in a SAC tournament elimination game.
Hensley moves past Jessie Howard and SAC and C-N Hall of Famer Sammi Hatcher Chafin and up to 89 hits in her sophomore campaign. She needs one more to match the SAC single season record held by Anderson's Jessica Neighdig and Lenoir-Rhyne's Kat Rivers.
Hensley went four-for-five at the dish with her nation-leading 10th triple of the year included in that tally. Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) joined her with her second straight four-hit game. This marks the first time since 2009 that the Eagles have had a pair of players each pound out four hits in a single game.
Sara Kelley (Ooltewah, Tenn.), celebrating her 22nd birthday, cranked a two-run home run for her 36th career blast to move into a tie for 5th on the SAC's all-time home run list. Brittany Hefner (Talbott, Tenn.) joined the long-ball party as well with a three-run home run. Brittany Bass (Duluth, Ga.) went three-for-five at the dish with a pair of RBI.
Six Eagles had multi-hit days and five had multiple runs batted in. The 20 hits are the most for C-N since pounding out 20 against Lincoln Memorial in a 19-6 victory over the Railsplitters in mid-March of 2013.
Carson-Newman scored in all six innings of the run-rule win and hung crooked numbers in every inning with the exception of the fourth.
The Eagles brought three across in the first inning with RBI from Kelley off a double down the left field line, Bass off a single to left and Caitlyn Lance (East Ridge, Tenn.) on a ground out to short.
That was only an initial tremor to the offensive earthquake in the second for C-N. The Eagles batted around plating six runs on six hits in the second frame for an early 9-0 lead.
Siebert had the top offensive moment with a bases-loaded two-RBI double to open the scoring in the frame. Haley Taylor (Strawberry Plains, Tenn.) rounded out the scoring with an RBI infield single.
Kelley hit her 36th career jack – a two-run shot – in the third to push the lead to 11-0 Eagles.
Hensley tripled in the fourth with two out and then scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 12-0. Brevard got two back in the bottom of the inning on an Emily Boykin double.
C-N would counter with a two-run fifth before the Tornados extended the game with back-to-back home runs for a five-run fifth. Dallas Heaton hit a grand slam to left center before Kinsey Parrish followed suit with a bomb to straight away center.
The game extension would be short-lived. Hefner cranked out her eighth homer of the year – a three-run bomb – to reapply the run rule and send C-N on to the 17-7 win.
Cassie Lyons (Knoxville, Tenn.) collected the win after allowing two hits in three shutout innings to start the game. Lyons improves to 9-2. Jamie Hrobak took the loss for BC after surrendering nine runs off of nine hits in the first inning and two-thirds.
The Eagles advance to face Tusculum at approximately 6:30 Friday in another elimination game. The Pioneers fell 2-0 to Catawba early Friday morning.
