JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (10-2) returns home Wednesday taking aim at a fifth consecutive sweep of its opposition when Erskine (5-5) comes to town for a 1 p.m. first pitch at The Vick.
Carson-Newman is going for its first 10-game win streak since 2010. The Eagles won 17 games in consecutive fashion that season. C-N was unbeaten for the month of March before losing on April 2 to Lenoir-Rhyne that year.
The Eagles have been bolstered by pitching throughout their current run of good form. C-N's 0.97 team ERA is the top mark for pitching staffs in the SAC.
Both Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Allison Webster (Charlestown, Ind.) are both in the 10 in the league for earned run average and top five for strikeouts.
Webster has sat down a league-best 49, Rinus has fanned 39.
If the Eagles are to be successful against the Flying Fleet, they'll need the bats to complement the good pitching. Last year, Carson-Newman fell 3-0 to Erskine in game one of a doubleheader. Danica Newton tossed a no-hitter for the flying fleet. Carson-Newman hadn't been no-hit since the year 2000. Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said she didn't recall her team being no-hit prior to that year either.
"We just have to stay the course and take it one game at a time," Kazee-Hollifield said. "It's a good week for us with the teams that were playing. Coach Hawkins and a I go way, way back. I consider her a very dear friend. I feel like our teams respect each other, and we just enjoy playing against one another."
Newton is back for the Flying Fleet, but has struggled at the start of the year. The hurler has an infinite ERA. She gave up three hits, two of which were home runs, in her only start and appearance of the season. The Flying Fleet fell 6-2 to Tusculum that day.
Still, the Erskine pitching staff has done work. It boasts a 2.68 team era and is led by Samantha Schmidt and Candace Fitch. Schmidt has struck out 32. Fitch has only fanned 13, but opponents are only hitting .208 off her through 25 innings pitched.
Cheyenne Boles (Knoxville, Tenn.) had the hottest bat against Benedict. The sophomore cranked a couple home runs, a double and a single. The 11 total bases are the second highest single-game total in Carson-Newman history. The figure only trails Bre Lockett's 13-total base afternoon against Bluefield State in 2015.
Freshman Abby Fiessinger (Benton, Ky.) has also factored in prominently to the Eagles' offense. She has belted five home runs, an average of one per ever six at bats. Fiessinger leads the league with her five bombs. Her .515 batting average is second in the conference while her 16 RBI are third.
Carson-Newman has hit the ball well in general this season. The Eagles have a ..332 team batting average. However, that number drops to .304 with runners on base and .293 with runners in scoring position.
First pitch between the Eagles and Flying Fleet is set for 1 p.m. Coverage of the doubleheader is available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live.
