VIDEO: Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Interview
VIDEO: Elayna Siebert Interview
VIDEO: Cassie Lyons Interview
ANDERSON, S.C. – Carson-Newman (30-10, 12-4 South Atlantic Conference) took over sole possession of first place in the South Atlantic Conference standings taking both ends of a twinbill from Anderson (29-11, 10-6 SAC) Tuesday afternoon at Smethers Field.
The Eagles came from behind in game one to win 8-4 before blasting three dingers in game two to win running away 7-2.
C-N's sweep of the No. 21 Trojans is its first doubleheader sweep of a nationally ranked opponent since C-N took two from then No. 24 Georgia College in 2010.
Cassie Lyons (Knoxville, Tenn.) was spectacular in relief for the Eagles. She gave up just three hits and two runs in 10.2 innings off the bench to earn a save and a win.
"She came in and really kept them off balance," C-N head softball coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifiels said. "They're a very explosive offensive team. She did a phenomenal job of getting in front of the count. And I will say this about Cassie. You can't intimidate her. She's a bulldog in the circle."
Haley Taylor (Strawberry Plains, Tenn.) led the C-N attack going 4-for-7 at the plate with three RBI. Brooke Ramsey (San Mateo, Calif.) was 3-for-8 at the plate with a trio of runs batted in as well.
Game one: Carson-Newman 8, #21 Anderson 4
Anderson jumped out to the opening advantage in the first. Molly Child drilled a double off the wall in left center before Cailah Niles hit a frozen rope line drive over the wall in right to give the Trojans the opening 2-0 edge.
Carson-Newman looked to get a run back in the third. Jessica Morgan (Ooltewah, Tenn.) led off the inning with a base on balls. She took second on a Haley Taylor (Strawberry Plains, Tenn.) sacrifice and third on an Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) fielder's choice to short.
Morgan then came home on a wild pitch. Up came Brooke Ramsey (San Mateo, Calif.) who drove a 1-0 pitch over the wall in center to the right of the Smethers Field scoreboard. The two-run blast was the first hit of the day for C-N and Ramsey's fifth home run of the season. It marked her first dinger since March 18.
Anderson regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth, Carli Hurtado ripped a 2-2 pitch down the right field line for a triple that cleared two Trojans from the base paths and gave Anderson a 4-3 advantage.
In the top of the fifth, Carson-Newman tried to make strides into the Trojans one-run advantage. Morgan once more led off an inning with a walk, took second on a Taylor base hit to third and third base on a deep fly ball to right from Bre Lockett (Fontana, Calif.).
Morgan then came home when Siebert hit a ball to short. Miscommunication between the shortstop and second baseman meant that all hands were safe and the Eagles brought the tying run across with two out.
Ramsey then belted a ball over the head of the left fielder for a double that scored Taylor and gave C-N a 5-4 lead. The Eagles weren't done in the inning. Talisa Fiame (Pacifica, Calif.) lifted a ball deep to left center for a sacrifice fly to score Siebert from third and to give C-N a two-run cushion.
Carson-Newman extended its lead in the sixth thanks to some two-out magic. Taylor walked with two out, Lockett reached on a fielding error by the pitcher Lauren Rudesheim before Siebert cleared the bases with a double that caromed off the wall in center and made it 8-4 Eagles.
Cassie Lyons (Knoxville, Tenn.) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to cement the win for the Eagles.
Lyons got the win in relief, working the final six innings and allowing two runs off two hits. She moves to 1-0 on the year. Chelsea Jones, the reigning SAC pitcher of the week, got the start for AU and took the loss. She pitched the game's first 4.1 innings, surrendering three hits and six runs, three of which were earned. She falls to 11-4 on the year.
The win was Carson-Newman's first over a ranked team since beating No. 23 Flagler in the 2012 Mid-South Classic. The win snapped Anderson's 16-game home win streak and the Trojans' six-game win streak against the Eagles.
Siebert and Ramsey both drove in three runs for the contest.
Game two: Carson-Newman 7, Anderson 2
Carson-Newman got the offensive party started in the second game with a pair of first inning home runs. Taylor became the first Eagle since Kelli Hensley against Belmont Abbey on Feb. 16, 2014 to lead off a game with a home run. She hit a towering fly ball to left center field that kept carrying before finally making it over the wall.
Siebert joined her in the Dinger District with a bomb over the wall in right center to give the Eagles the opening 2-0 advantage.
C-N added to its lead in the second off a Taylor single that was ripped down the left field line and scored Hayley Burnette (Rossville, Ga.) from second.
Anderson got a pair of runs back in the bottom of the third with an RBI single down the rightfield line from Molly Child that scored Jessica Neidigh. Chelsea Jones grounded out to the circle on a ball that allowed Child to trot home. However, Lyons induced a ground out to short to end the threat.
The Eagles re-added some insurance to its lead in the fourth. Taylor hit a ball to the hole at second that caught a pebble and skipped over the head of Neidigh and into right. That allowed Hannnah Williams (Black Mountain, N.C.) to score from second and give the Eagles a 4-2 advantage.
Carson-Newman's offensive machine whirred back to life in the fifth with back-to-back singles to start the inning from Siebert and Ramsey. That set the stage for Lindsay Dean (Coeburn, Va.) to blast a ball through the right side of the infield to score Siebert and put runners on the corners. However, Sarah Howard (Georgetown, Ky.) lined into a double play to end the inning.
Back-to-back fielding errors for the Trojans in the sixth gave the Eagles runners on second and first with one out. Lockett made the Trojans pay for the pair of defensive miscues with a gutbuster single up the middle that scored Morgan and pushed the C-N lead to 6-2.
The Eagles added to their lead in the seventh off Dean's first career home run. She hammered the first pitch of her at bat midway up the scoreboard beyond the 210-foot mark in center field to extend the Eagles' lead to 7-2.
Talisa Fiame (Pacifica, Calif.) made three spectacular grabs in right to retire the side in the bottom of the seventh and end any threat the Trojans could have put together.
Danielle Kranz (Fairfield, Calif.) picked up the win for the Eagles. She got the start, worked 2.1 innings and surrendered two unearned runs before giving way to Lyons who snagged her first career save in relief.
Jones took the loss for AU.
Carson-Newman returns home to face Newberry on Saturday on senior day. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. with the Wolves. Coverage will be available on the Eagle Sports Network with a free high definition stream at cneagles.com/live.
