VIDEO: Vickee Kazee-Hollifield
VIDEO: Sarah Howard Interview
VIDEO: Elayna Siebert Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (20-6, 5-1 South Atlantic Conference) picked up its second straight SAC doubleheader sweep with a pair of wins over Catawba (10-10, 0-4 SAC) Saturday afternoon at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
The Eagles won game one on a walkoff sacrifice fly in eight innings 1-0 before rallying from a five-run deficit to take game two 7-6.
"We couldn't make it any closer, could we?" head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "Two great wins for us. We were disciplined in the batter's box and that what it was going to take to beat a great ball club in Catawba."
C-N has now won back-to-back doubleheader sweeps in South Atlantic Conference for the first time since the 2012 season. With the wins, the Eagles move into a tie with Anderson and Wingate for first place in the SAC standings.
"We've got a lot of new faces, but I go back in history, C-N has some records to it," Kazee-Hollifield said. "What matters is today. But there is tradition to what we have here. I take it as a compliment. If you get a sweep with anybody in our conference. That's a big day."
Sarah Howard (Georgetown, Ky.) fired the eight-inning shutout win in game one, she allowed just two hits and only saw two bases runners in scoring position the whole game.
"You could see her mind working, saying this is where this pitch needs to be," Kazee-Hollifield said. "Hayley called a great game behind the plate. Sarah kept the ball down and everything just worked today. She's a tough pitcher when that's happening."
Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) went 4-for-6 at the plate in the series with two home runs, including the game-winning run in game two.
Game one: Carson-Newman 1, Catawba 0 (eight innings)
Game one featured a pitching duel between the Eagles' Howard and Catawba's Caroline Turner. The team's swapped scoreless innings the first seven frames of the contest before Carson-Newman finally broke through in the seventh.
Both squads had chances early in the game. In the third, Siebert doubled to left with one out and moved to third on a groundout. However, she was stranded there when Talisa Fiame (Pacifica, Calif.) grounded out to third to end the inning.
Catawba got a two-out walk and single in the fourth. Then Howard got Gina Gerone to ground out to third to end the threat.
C-N had a shot at denting the scoreboard in the fourth as well when Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) reached on an error to begin the inning before Bre Lockett (Fontana, Calif.) walked.
They moved into scoring position with one out before back-to-back pop ups ended the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth, all-conference pitcher Carly Tysinger entered for the Indians. She promptly rifled a wild pitch that allowed international rule runner Cassie Lyons (Knoxville, Tenn.) to move to third. Fiame lofted the first pitch to right that allowed Lyons to tag up and score on a game-winning SAC fly.
Howard moved to 3-1 in the circle. She only struckout three for the game; however, Howard generated 15 groundouts and only saw one ball leave the infield.
Tysinger took the loss in relief.
Game two: Carson-Newman 7, Catawba 6
Carson-Newman rallied from a five-run deficit in game two to pick up the doubleheader sweep from the Indians.
The Eagles got on the board first when Jessica Morgan (Ooltewah, Tenn.) plunked a bunt betwixt four Catawba defenders on the left side of the infield. The ball rolled past the catcher, pitcher, third baseman and shortstop and all the way into left field as Siebert scored from second.
Catawba countered with a big inning in the third. An error extended the inning and the Indians took advantage with a walk and four straight singles. A two-RBI Delane Smith highlighted the inning for Catawba.
It didn't take long for the Eagles to counter. Haley Taylor (Strawberry Plain, Tenn.) tripled to right to lead off the bottom of the third. She promptly scored when Brooke Ramsey (San Mateo, Calif.) lifted a towering fly ball to left that enable Taylor to tag up and score.
Fiame smoked a ball to right then Siebert clobbered a 1-0 pitch off the scoreboard in center to bring the Eagles within two.
After back-to-back walks from Hayley Burnette (Rossville, Ga.) and Morgan, Lockett looped a ball down the left field line to clear the bases. Lockett's triple was her fourth of the season and it produced a 6-6 tie.
Siebert broke the tie with what would prove to be the game-winning run when she blasted the first pitch of the fifth inning into the pine trees behind the fence in right.
Lindsay Dean got the win in relief for the Eagles. She worked 4.1 innings of shutout ball, surrendering just four hits along the way. Dean moves to 9-1 on the year with the win.
Turner took the loss in relief for Catawba. She falls to 4-5 on the year.
The Eagles hit the road Tuesday to face off with Mars Hill. First pitch with the Lions is set for 2 p.m.
