VIDEO: Vickee Hollifield Interview
VIDEO: Abby Fiessinger Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
The Crusaders put together a six-run seventh in the nightcap to make things interesting, but the Eagles hung on for the win.
"We definitely have to clean things up," head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "We did finish. We have to take advantage early on of situations where we have runners in scoring position. It's little things like that. I wish I could put my thumb on it exactly. Sometimes its pitch selection, sometimes it's not making adjustments. I hope we use this sweep to build character and toughness because not every game's going to be easy, and these certainly weren't."
Carson-Newman left 12 runners stranded in game two alone, and 19 for the doubleheader.
Abby Fiessinger (Benton, Ky.) went 3-for-6 at the plate with a double and a dinger. Fiessinger extended her hitting streak to 18 straight games, she needs to hit successfully in one more game to match Kelli Hensley for the third longest in school history.
"She makes adjustments and recognizes pitches," Kazee-Hollifield said. "To be a freshman, her timing and recognition are very good. She figures stuff out very quickly. That's how she's done it."
Sarah Barrett (West Hamlin, W.Va.) drove in three for the doubleheader. Taylor Scott (Huntington, W.Va.) and Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) each picked up multi-hit performances.
"We want to go on an uphill direction," Kazee-Hollifield said. "However, we've gone through some valleys that have sneaked in there. Fortunately, we've been able to survive some heart stopping games. It was nice to see Lacie persevere today in game two in the circle. I'm proud of them. But, we've got to tidy it up."
Game one: Carson-Newman 6, Belmont Abbey 2
Carson-Newman took advantage of Belmont Abbey miscues in the first to pounce for a 3-0 lead. Abby Fiessinger (Benton, Ky.) led of the game with a double to left field. She moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a dropped pop up that KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) hit to short.
The Eagles loaded the bases with one out thanks to a walk to Taylor Scott (Huntington, W.Va.). Cheyenne Boles (Knoxville, Tenn.) came through with her first bases-loaded hit of the season with a line drive smoked to right. The base hit brought in both Levi and Scott and gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead.
Carson-Newman kept the party going in the second. Fiessinger drilled her sixth home run of the year into the pine trees in left center off an 0-1 pitch to extend the lead to 4-0.
After Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) hit an infield single to third and stole second. Scott drove her in with an RBI double to left center to extend the lead to 5-0.
Belmont Abbey got two runs back in the fifth.
The Eagles set the final margin off a two-out Scott double to centerfield in the sixth.
Allison Webster (Charlestown, Ind.) got the win to move to 7-2 on the year. She gave up five hits and struck out five.
Peyton Wilson took the loss for Belmont Abbey to drop to 0-5. She gave up five runs, four earned in a 1.1 inning start.
Amelia Saldivar notched 4.2 innings, of one-run, one-hit ball in relief.
Game two: Carson-Newman 7, Belmont Abbey 6
Carson-Newman wasted little time in scoring again in game two. Fiessinger walked to lead off the inning, then moved to second on a Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) sacrifice. After Levi got hit, Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) came through with a single up the middle that scored Fiessinger from second. The Eagles left the based loaded in the first, but were up 1-0.
The Eagles padded their lead in the third. Rinus scored the first run of the inning after walking. She moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch with two outs. However, the Eagles weren't done. Alisa Walker (Knoxville, Tenn.) got hit by a pitch, then Sarah Barrett (West Hamlin, W.Va.) ripped a line drive double into the gap in right center to score Walker from first. The Eagles managed to load the bases with two out, but again left them loaded. C-N was up 3-0 after the dust cleared.
The Eagles added another run in the fourth. Levi laced a one-out single to center before Rinus slipped a single through the right side, moving Levi to third.
Boles then looped a ball toward shallow center field. The shortstop Alexa Panzano nearly made a spectacular over the shoulder catch on a dead sprint. However, Panzano bobbled it away. Levi stayed close to the bag in anticipation of a catch. She sprinted home on the drop, aided by a poor throw home by Panzano. Boles reached on a single. The Eagles added two more in the frame off a Barrett two-RBI double to left. That made it 6-0.
Carson-Newman added another run in the fifth. Toppel reached on a fielding error at short. Levi drove in the run with a base hit up the gut, extending the lead to 7-0.
The Crusaders made it extremely interesting in the seventh. Belmont Abbey brought 12 men to the plate, rapped out eight hits, scored six runs, and left the tying run at third with the bases loaded before the Eagles escaped with a one-run win thanks to a strikeout.
Rinus notched the win in the circle for the Eagles, improving to 7-2. Shannon Mas dropped to 1-5 for Belmont Abbey.
Carson-Newman's Wednesday doubleheader with Bluefield State has been tentatively been moved to March 9 at noon, presuming the horrendous weather forecast for Wednesday holds true. If it does, the Eagles won't be in action again until Saturday at Limestone.
