FORT VALLEY, Ga. – Carson-Newman (8-2) reset its school record for runs scored in a single game and matched its all-time largest margin of victory with a 31-3 win over Fort Valley State (0-6) Thursday afternoon.
The Eagles swept the doubleheader with a 15-1 decision in game two. Both contests were called by the run-rule after five innings.
As happy as head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield was with the offensive outburst, she was nearly equally displeased with Carson-Newman's three errors on the day.
"It was a really cold day," Kazee-Hollfield said. "I was hoping today that we would just hit ground balls and play good defense. We did the first part, but not the second. The score is great, but we can't have that many errors. We have to play harder and strive for better defense. We have to get that fixed quickly, or at least show vast improvement quickly."
C-N's previous high water mark for runs scored was 28, set in 1996 in a 28-0 win over Belmont Abbey. The Thursday game with Fort Valley State matches the school record for margin of victory originally set in that game with Belmont Abbey. The 34 runs scored are the most runs combined by two teams in a C-N softball game. The previous record was 30, set by the Eagles and Tennessee Wesleyan in a 27-3 C-N win in 1991.
The 31 runs are the fifth most scored in a South Atlantic Conference game. Lenoir-Rhyne holds the top four spots on that list with a 45-1 win over Johnson C. Smith in 1996, a 38-0 win over Barber-Scotia in 1990 and a pair of 37-1 wins over the Golden Bulls again, one in 1995 and another in 1996.
The Eagles tallied 22 hits in the first game, which are the most since knocking that many against Bluefield State earlier this season. The school record (and South Atlantic Conference record for that matter) is 26, set in that 1996 matchup with Belmont Abbey.
Carson-Newman's pitching staff faired exceptionally well, striking out 16 batters against just two walks.
"All three girls who pitched today, pitched very effectively," Kazee-Hollifield said. "I don't know how much movement was on the balls because of how cold it was. But they certainly gave great effort. Pitching hasn't been the issue for us."
Bri Lockett (Fontana, Calif.) and Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) both equaled the school record for runs scored in a single game with five. Sammie Hatcher set the record initially back in 1992. Toppel matched it earlier this season against Bluefield State before she and Lockett etched their names again in the record books against FVSU. Toppel also became the first Eagle since Sara Kelley in 2012 against Georgia College and the fourth since 2010 to hit three doubles in a single game.
Game one: Carson-Newman 31, Fort Valley State 3 (five innings)
Carson-Newman didn't get the offensive party started against the Wildcats until the second inning, but when the party started, it didn't stop.
The Eagles plated 15 runs on 10 hits aided by three Fort Valley State errors in the second inning to pounce out to a 15 advantage.
Carson-Newman batted around twice. The Eagles got a pair of two-RBI doubles from Lockett and Toppel, not to mention two-RBI singles from Brooke Ramsey (San Mateo, Calif.) and Talisa Fiame (Pacifica, Calif.) to pound out the scoring in the frame.
The Eagles had pulled five starters by the third inning, giving some back up players invaluable playing time.
Holly Black (Rutledge, Tenn.) entered for Fiame and promptly drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases with an out in the third inning. The merry-go-round got rolling to score four runs in the inning.
Carson-Newman started pounding out runs again in the fourth when it scored nine off seven hits and two Wildcat errors.
The Eagles rounded out the scoring in the fifth thanks to a home run from Kaitlin Pritchett (Ringgold, Ga.), an RBI double to center from Toppel and an RBI single through the right side from reserve catcher Hannah Williams (Black Mountain, N.C.).
Danielle Kranz (Fairfield, Calif.) snagged the win in the circle for C-N to improve to 4-1 on the year. She pitched the first three innings of the game, surrendering only a hit. She walked one and fanned seven.
Sarah Howard (Georgetown, Ky.) worked two innings of relief and struck out three.
Alexis Ricks took the loss for Fort Valley State to fall to 0-3 on the year. Ricks went the distance, of the 31 runs C-N scored, only 19 were earned. Ricks walked nine.
Game two: Carson-Newman 15, Fort Valley State 1 (five innings)
The Eagles picked up offensively where they left off in game one. C-N dropped a nine-spot in the first inning off of only three hits. Carson-Newman was helped in the frame by five bases on balls.
Four of those walks came with the bases loaded and scored runs.
The Eagles would score at least a run in every inning the rest of the game. Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Haley Taylor (Strawberry Plains, Tenn.) both homered to add some explosiveness to the Eagles' offense.
Lindsay Dean (Coeburn, Va.) worked the complete game in the circle to pick up with win and move to 4-1 on the season. She struck out a career high nine batters against one walk. Dean saw one run come across in the first, but it was unearned due to two errors at first for the Eagles.
Crystal Richmond took the loss for the Wildcats to fall to 0-3 on the year.
The Eagles return to the road Monday with a trip to the Mountain State to face Concord. It's a 1 p.m. first pitch from Princeton, W.Va.
