CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Carson-Newman (35-11, 17-5 South Atlantic Conference) clinched its first outright South Atlantic Conference championship but stubbed its toe in the finale in a doubleheader split with Queens (12-33, 6-16 SAC).
Carson-Newman took game one 12-4 before Queens rallied to take game two 7-6. The game two loss was Carson-Newman's first in 47 games in which it lost when scoring six runs or more.
"I'm proud of this team for getting the title outright," "But we didn't come out ready in the second game and made mental mistakes not covering situations. Our defense let us down. We'll have to pitch better in the days ahead. That notwithstanding, I'm very proud of what they accomplished. These kids shouldn't need a wake-up call, because we've had ballgames that have been so close. What it is is a reminder to the fact that we have to finish ballgames."
Game one: Carson-Newman 12, Queens 4
Carson-Newman got rolling in the top of the first thanks to Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.). Siebert bombed a 1-2 pitch deep to right center to give Carson-Newman the opening 1-0 lead on the Royals.
Another home run added to the Eagles' offense in the third. Haley Taylor (Strawberry Plains, Tenn.) smashed the first pitch she saw over the wall in left to extend the Eagles lead to 2-0. However, Carson-Newman would leave the bases loaded in the inning after a pair of walks and a Talisa Fiame (Pacifica, Calif.) infield single to the pitcher. Lindsay Dean (Coeburn, Va.) struck out to end the frame.
Carson-Newman dented the scoreboard for a second consecutive inning and hung its first crooked number with a two-out rally. Bre Lockett (Fontana, Calif.) clubbed a ball off the wall in left for a two-out, two-RBI, bases-clearing double that extended C-N's lead to 4-0.
Queens rallied for a run in the bottom of the fourth. Taylor Cheek hit a line drive to center that dropped and scored Venus Gonzales from second with one out to bring the Royals within three, 4-1. A three-run home run from Abby Lathan to left center tied the game at 4-4.
Carson-Newman put together a whale of a two-out rally in the fifth to retake the lead. Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) worked an 11-pitch at bat to work and load the bases. Four straight balls to Taylor walked in the go-ahead run.
However, C-N wasn't satisfied with that. Lockett went opposite way with a double off the wall in right to clear the bases and give C-N a four-run lead. Siebert finished the scoring for the frame with a single up the middle that scored Lockett and gave C-N a 9-4 lead.
The Eagles would add to their lead in the sixth. Hayley Burnette (Rossville, Ga.) plunked a pitch to center to push the lead to 10-4.
Carson-Newman made it seven unanswered runs in the top of the seventh as Brooke Ramsey (San Mateo, Calif.) blasted a double off the wall in right to plate Lockett and push the advantage to 11-4. Danielle Kranz got a bases-loaded single to trickle through the left side of the infield to increase the advantage to 12-4.
Kranz got the win in relief for the Eagles. She entered for starter Sarah Howard (Georgetown, Ky.) when the game was tied 4-4 and worked 3.2 innings of two-hit, shutout ball.
Evie Scott took the loss for the Royals. She worked 2.1 innings and surrendered five hits and five earned runs.
Carson-Newman was 8-for-17 at the plate with two outs.
Game two: Queens 7, Carson-Newman 6
Carson-Newman's bats went quite for the first three innings of the game before Siebert sparked the Eagles by lifting her 12th home run of the season and her second of the series over the wall in left to leadoff the fourth and produce a 1-0 lead for the Eagles.
After Carson-Newman had allowed just two base hits through the game's first four innings, Queens' offense whirred to life in the fifth. Three straight singles to start the inning tied the game for the Royals on a Samantha Martinez infield single to short without an out recorded.
A walk loaded the bases for the Royals before Robyn Levine hit a deep fly ball to left that Taylor gloved, but allowed Lathan to tag up and score from third. A Rosenbalm single through the left side made it 3-1 Royals.
Carson-Newman loaded the bases in the top of the sixth with a single from Lockett, a walk from Siebert and an infield single from Fiame. That let Toppel nip a ball to right to score Ramsey and Siebert.
The Eagles then quickly raced ahead thanks to Katie Pritchett (Ringgold, Ga.). The freshman blasted her second homer of the year to left on a 2-2 pitch. The three-run shot gave C-N a 6-3 lead and chased Queens starter Catelyn Presley from the game.
Queens answered quickly in the bottom of the sixth. Whitney Britt hit a bases-loaded double to right to bring in two runs. Howard entered the game in relief after that at-bat with her team in front 6-5. Two runs then came in on a ball hit to short. Siebert knocked it down and started a double play, but a throwing error on the relay allowed the tying and go-ahead runs to come across.
Carson-Newman started the seventh with back-to-back groundouts before Siebert walked. However, a strikeout ended any hope C-N had at a rally.
Lindsay Dean took the loss for C-N to fall to 11-2. Scott collected the win in relief
Carson-Newman will be in action next week in the South Atlantic Conference tournament; however, the Eagles' opponent has yet to be determined. Carson-Newman will be the one seed and face off against the eight seed.
