HARROGATE, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (34-17) needed extra innings to triumph over Tusculum (31-24) 6-3. The seventh-seeded Eagles rallied in the eighth after the fourth-seeded Pioneers came back to tie the game in the fifth Friday evening under the lights at Neely Field.
The Eagles advance to their third elimination game of the tournament and a noon first pitch with third-seeded Wingate in Harrogate Saturday.
"Kelli Hensley's pitch selection continues to be superb," Carson-Newman head softball coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "She's at her best when she's aggressive and she was aggressive at the plate today."
Kelli Hensley (Knoxville, Tenn.) continued her torrid pace at the plate with three hits in four at bats. The sophomore has 92 hits on the year, the most ever by a player in the South Atlantic Conference (the NCAA Division II record is 121). Hensley passed Jessica Neighdig of Anderson and Kat Rivers of Lenoir-Rhyne.
Hensley took over the school record with a four-hit day in an elimination game earlier Friday against Brevard.
Sara Kelley (Ooltewah, Tenn.) had a three-for-five day at the dish. Brittany Hefner (Talbott, Tenn.) and Haley Taylor (Strawberry Plains, Tenn.) each drove in multiple runs. Hefner had a three-run home run; Taylor cleared the bases with a two-RBI triple.
"Haley Taylor got her hands out and drills a ball to right field," Kazee-Hollifield said. "That's the turning point (her eighth inning triple), you know it's a shot when Hayley's able to score from first."
Cassie Lyons went the distance for the Eagles in the circle, scattering seven hits in her eight innings of work to improve to 10-2 on the year.
"Our infield was just tremendous," Kazee-Hollifield said. "They swallowed up so many hard-hit balls. Then Cassie keeps batters off balance. She's been resilient – a bulldog. She wants the ball in her hands and our team wanted victory. They wanted and got both wins today."
Tusculum struck first with two runs in the second off a two-RBI Carolyn Williamson triple to centerfield.
However, the Eagles got back in the thick of things the next inning when Hefner hit her third home run of the tournament – a three-run blast – to pull the Eagles ahead 3-2.
That's the way it stayed for a couple innings until Tusculum tied it in the fifth on another triple, this one from Katie Stroinski.
The teams failed to get a runner past second in the final two innings before the Eagles broke through in the eighth.
Jessica Morgan (Ooltewah, Tenn.) led off the inning and was plunked on the right side of her batting helmet. Hayley Burnette (Rossville, Ga.) tried to sacrifice Morgan to second with a bunt, and did so successfully. Burnette was also able to reach on a throwing error by the third baseman.
That set the stage for Taylor, who rocketed a 1-1 fastball into right to plate both Morgan and Burnette and give C-N a two-run lead. The Eagles weren't done though. Hensley lifted a ball into left to score Taylor and set the final margin at 6-3 on the SAC fly.
Lyons slammed the door in the bottom of the inning, facing the minimum. She produced ground balls to short, the circle and third to close the game and secure the win.
Kelly King was handed the loss for the Pioneers. She falls to 19-13 after pitching the complete game.
The Eagles play Wingate at noon Saturday. The winner advances to the 5:30 game Saturday to face off against the loser of the Catawba – Anderson contest. The loser goes home.
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