VIDEO: Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Interview
VIDEO: Brooke Ramsey Interview
VIDEO: Danielle Kranz Interview
VIDEO: Highlights – Lees-McRae
VIDEO: Highlights – Davis & Elkins
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (10-2) saw freshman pitcher Danielle Kranz (Fairfield, Calif.) fire the first no-hitter of her collegiate career as the Eagles took five-inning run-rule decisions from Lees-McRrae (1-8) 8-0 and Davis & Elkins (1-1) 8-0 Friday afternoon at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
Kranz was the winning pitcher in game two when she threw the first no-no since a five inning no-hitter against Bluefield State on March 11, 2014. The last seven-inning no-hitter by an Eagle was Kalyn Davis' perfect game against Erskine that same year.
As good as Kranz' pitching was, Carson-Newman backed her up defensively. The Eagles played error free through both games.
"It always makes a coach feel good when you're playing good defense," head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "I tip my hat to Danielle Kranz as well. Strikeout eight, that's eight fewer balls that you have to deal with put into the field of play. I was very pleased with our defense overall today.
"Danielle worked ahead in each at bat. Catcher Hayley Burnett (Rossville, Ga.) called a really nice game keeping batters off balance. She mixed it up and kept batters off balance all day."
It was a minor miracle for Carson-Newman softball to play host to its impromptu classic this weekend. The Eagles and volunteers cleared a ton (literally, weighing in at 1,929 pounds) of snow from the field.
"I thought we were filming the sequel to Frozen with as much ice as we chopped up to get ready to play today," Kazee-Hollifield said. "I met so many students that I did not know. It was a Carson-Newman family out there making this field ready to play. We couldn't have done it without them."
Brooke Ramsey (San Mateo, Calif.) led the Eagles offense going 5-for-7 at the plate with four runs batted in. Bre Lockett (Fontana, Calif.) went 5-for-5 and was a homer shy of the cycle in game one. Sarah Howard (Georgetown, Ky.) extended her hitting streak to a career best 10 games.
Game one: Carson-Newman 8, Lees-McRae 0 (five innings)
Lindsay Dean (Coeburn, Va.) worked a three-hit shutout and Haley Taylor (Strawberry Plains, Tenn.) and Sarah Howard (Georgetown, Ky.) each drove in two runs as the Eagles used a six-run fifth to run-rule the Bobcats in unconventional walk-off fashion.
Carson-Newman started its scoring in the second with a two-out rally. After back-to-back singles by Dean and Bre Lockett (Fontana, Calif.) up the middle, Taylor ripped a liner up the gut to clear the bases and give the Eagles a lead they would not relinquish.
Carson-Newman started to get to Lees-McRae starter Taylor Billings in the fourth, however, the Eagles would only load the bases and fail to plate any Eagles.
However, the Eagles opened up the floodgates in the fifth. After Brooke Ramsey (San Mateo, Calif.) led off the frame reaching on a fielding error by the right fielder, Howard ripped a ball over the fence in left off a line drive for her second dinger of the season.
Back-to-back triples from Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) and Talisa Fiame (Pacifica, Calif.) added two more runs for the Eagles. Fiame stole home to give the Eagles and opportunity to end the game early, which they did on a Ramsey infield single to short with the bases loaded.
Dean collected the win to improve to 5-1 on the season. She only struck out one but induced eight ground outs against four fly outs to guide the Eagles to the win. Billings took the loss for Lees-McRae to drop to 1-4 on the year. She gave up eight hits and four runs, three of which were earned.
Game two: Carson-Newman 8, Davis & Elkins 0 (five innings)
Carson-Newman picked up where it had left off offensively to start the contest. Fielding errors by the Senators' first and second basemen allowed Jessica Morgan (Ooltewah, Tenn.) and Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) to both reach base successfully. Ramsey made the Senators pay for the miscues, ripping a bases-clearing double down the left field line.
Ramsey then came around to score as Howard blasted an extra-base hit to right.
After a scoreless second, the Eagles advanced Morgan and into scoring position on a fielder's choice and a wild pitch in the third. Lockett looped a triple to right center on a ball that took a hard turn off the wall. Morgan and Siebert scored easily on the play, while Lockett was able to scamper home on an error by the third baseman fielding the relay throw from the outfield.
The Eagles activated the run-rule in the fifth when Siebert wound up on third following a double and a wild pitch. Ramsey singled to the circle to drive her in. Ramsey would be the game-ending run when she slid underneath the tag of catcher Katelyn Huffman on a fielder's choice to third by Kristen Toppel.
Kranz collected the win to move to 5-1 on the season, she wrapped up her fifth game with at least seven strikeouts. Kranz fanned two Senators in four of the five innings she worked. She walked a batter an inning for the first three innings before retiring eight consecutive to close the game.
Autumn Appleby took the loss for the Senators to start her senior season 0-1.
The Eagles close out play in the Carson-Newman Classic Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m. The Eagles start their day against Indiana Wesleyan before going for the weekend sweep of Lees-McRae. The Eagle Sports Network will carry the games with a free HD stream at cneagles.com/live.
