HICKORY, N.C. – Carson-Newman's (5-1) bats came to life, but the Eagles also allowed a combined nine unearned runs to cross home plate as C-N split play with Augusta (4-10) and Belmont Abbey (4-8) Friday at Bears Field.
The Eagles lost game one to Augusta 11-7. The Jaguars scored seven unearned runs in that game. Then the Eagles triumphed over Belmont Abbey 8-2 in game two on the back of a six-run sixth.
"We still had an opportunity to beat Augusta," head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "But we didn't play well enough in the defensive infield. You can't play poor defense and beat some good teams. I'm really proud of Lindsay Dean. She pitched well and performed very at the plate. We need to become more patient as a team offensively at the pate too."
Game one: Augusta 11, Carson-Newman 7
Augusta got the scoring started in the first inning. A base hit, a walk and a hit-batsman loaded the bases for the Jags with two out. Then Casey Rowland lifted a ball to left that the Eagles' Donna Ryan (Orlando, Fla.) misplayed. An E7 allowed two unearned runs to come across before Allison Webster (Charlestown, Ind.) struck out Erin Holcomb to end the threat.
C-N would get a run back in the bottom of the first. Shon Jordan (Hermitage, Tenn.) walked with one out before Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) clocked her 21st career double to give the Eagles a pair in scoring position.
Cheyenne Boles (Knoxville, Tenn.) then reached on an error by the Jags' second baseman and Jordan scored. A Katie Pritchett (Ringgold, Ga.) strikeout and Talisa Fiame (Pacifica, Calif.) groundout ended the Eagles threat.
Carson-Newman would roar in front in the bottom of the third.
Back-to-back singles started the inning for Jordan and Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.). A Siebert flyout to center gave Carson-Newman runners on the corners for Boles.
The freshman belted the first home run of her career with a moon shot to center. The three-run dinger put Carson-Newman up 4-2.
Holcomb did damage for Augusta in the fourth with a one-out dinger to left field. Back-to-back one-out singles from Kristen Bagley and Brianna Dickens, plus an unassisted groundout Emily Hittinger provided Augusta with a pair of runners in scoring position and two out. However, Webster got Ashley Benton to line out to center to end the threat and preserve a one-run lead.
Carson-Newman added insurance to its advantage in the bottom of the fourth. Siebert strode to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. She belted a double to the wall in right center to plate Toppel and Andi Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.) and put C-N in front 6-3. However, that insurance wouldn't be enough.
The Jaguars still showed plenty of fight in the fifth, loading the bases with three straight singles to open up the inning. A Rowland sacrifice fly to left brought one run across to get the Jags within two. A throwing error by Webster then allowed another run to come across and bring Augusta within one, 6-5. A Bagley single to left knotted the game at six.
With one out, Vickee Kazee-Hollifield went to her bullpen to bring in Danielle Kranz. Kranz started her appearance with a walk to load the bases then Benton singled to left to drive in Bagley and Holcolmb and give Augusta an 8-6 lead. Kranz then walked in a run to push the Jags lead to three.
When the dust settled, the Jags had scored six unearned runs to race in front 9-6.
The Eagles loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom half of the fifth, but could only get one back. Jordan walked to drive in one run, but Toppel and Siebert both struck out to end the inning against Augusta's new pitcher, Paige Deschaine, to end the threat.
A Stokes homer to right in the top of the seventh created even more distance for the Jags to give them an 11-7 edge.
Carson-Newman moved Hayley Burnett (Rossville, Ga.) and Lilia Torchio (Centreville, Md.) into scoring position after the pair were both plunked to start the inning. Jordan walked with two out to load the bases. However, Siebert grounded out to first to end the inning.
Webster took the loss for C-N to fall to 3-1 on the year. She surrendered 11 hits and 10 runs, four of which were earned in 6.0 innings in the circle. Webster fanned three.
Haley Birkle got the win for the Jags in 0.2 innings of relief work. Paige Deschaine got a three-inning save, striking out four.
Siebert was 2-for-5 at the plate with two doubles and a pair of RBI to lead the Eagles' offensive attack. Stokes went 4-for-4 with a double, home run and a trio of RBI to lead Augusta.
Game two: Carson-Newman 8, Belmont Abbey 2
Belmont Abbey retired Carson-Newman's first six batters in order before Talisa Fiame (Pacifica, Calif.) tallied C-N's first hit with a ground ball up the middle to lead off the third. Ashlynn Cooper (Friendsville, Tenn.) moved her to second on a groundout to third. However, a Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) groundout ended the Eagles' first threat of the day.
Belmont Abbey would take advantage of an unearned run in the top of the fourth. Alexis Pereiro reached on an error at third before Brooke Pegram doubled in another run. Both runs were unearned.
Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) put Carson-Newman in position to counter in the bottom of the frame with a one-out triple to center field. Lindsay Dean (Coeburn, Va.) hit a nub shot to center with two out to drive Siebert in on a base hit and bring the Eagles' within a run.
An error at second kept the inning going on a Katie Pritchett (Ringgold, Ga.) fielder's choice before Fiame made the Crusaders pay for the miscue with an RBI single to right center to tie the game.
The Eagles roared ahead in the bottom of the sixth when Dean helped out her own cause by hammering a three-run bomb to right. It was her first home run of the season and it put Carson-Newman up 5-2.
After three straight walks to juice the bases, Toppel laced a double down the left field line to score all three Eagles on the pond and put C-N up 8-2.
Dean then struck out two to close the game and get Carson-Newman the win. She improves to 2-0 on the year with a seven-strikeout performance.
Laura Williams took the loss for BAC to fall to 1-2. She gave up six hits, five runs, four earned in five innings of work before Dean's homer chased her from the game.
Dean was 2-for-3 at the plate with a quartet of runs batted in, matching a career high for the sophomore.
The Eagles have now won 12 straight games against the Crusaders.
C-N returns to action Saturday morning at 11 a.m. against Columbus State. The Cougars have won three straight games against the Eagles. C-N closes out the weekend in Hickory, N.C. against King at 1 Saturday afternoon.
