VIDEO: Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Alli Webster Interview
Carson-Newman pitching struck out 22 of the 34 batters it faced on the day and only gave up one hit between the two games. Bluefield State never moved a base runner past first base for the doubleheader.
"In our games it starts and ends with pitching," head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "Our goal today was to take it one batter, and one pitch at a time. Alli and Lacie did that and their command of pitches was spot on today."
Webster tallied 12 strikeouts, her first double-digit strikeout effort of the season. Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) fanned 10 in the night cap.
Abby Fiessinger (Benton, Ky.) tallied her ninth mult-hit performance of the season. Taylor Scott (Huntington, W.Va.) drilled her third home run of the season and her second in as many doubleheaders.
Game one: Carson-Newman 8, Bluefield State 0 (five innings)
Carson-Newman got things rolling early with a home run. Taylor Scott (Huntington, W.Va.) clobbered her third homer of the season to left center to score Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) and give the Eagles a 2-0 cushion after an inning.
The Eagles kept the party going in the second. Allison Webster (Charlestown, Ind.) tripled in Ashlyn Cooper (Friendsville, Tenn.). Then Sarah Barrett (West Hamlin, W.Va.) brought in Webster with a sacrifice fly to center to extend the margin to 4-0.
The third went much the same way for Carson-Newman with two more runs. Toppel walked, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball. With runners on the corners, Cheyenne Boles (Knoxville, Tenn.) drove in a run with a single to left center field.
C-N brought two more across in the fourth. Janelle Benzick (Virginia Beach, Va.) nipped a double down the left field line to plate Fiessinger. Benzick scored a batter later on a KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) sacrifice fly to center.
Webster hurled her second career no-hitter to improve to 8-4. Webster faced 18 batters and struck out 12 of them. She allowed three base runners, two she hit, the other she walked.
Emily Day took the loss to Bluefield State to drop to 0-8. She walked four.
Game two: Carson-Newman 11, Bluefield State 0 (five innings)
The Eagles brought 10 across in the bottom of the first off of just one hit and all with two outs on the board. Benzick drove in three runs with a double to the left center field alleyway. Otherwise, the Eagles scored one run off an errors, five off bases loaded walks and one off a bases loaded hit by pitch. The Blues walked nine in the frame as the Eagles nearly batted around twice.
Carson-Newman set the final score in the fourth when Peyton Bacon (Greeneville, Tenn.) scored on a passed ball. That made it 11-0 in the Eagles' favor.
Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) came within an out of a perfect game, but Casey Spencer broke it up with a bloop single to right with two outs in the fifth.
Rinus did get the win to improve to 9-3. She struck out 10 of the 16 batters she faced.
Spencer took the loss for BSC. She falls to 0-2. Spencer pitched 0.2 innings. She walked nine, hit two batters and gave up 10 runs on the day, seven of which were earned.
Ashley Rasnake wrapped up the games with 3.1 innings pitched.
Carson-Newman has moved its doubleheader that was originally scheduled for Saturday with USC Aiken till Monday, April 17. The Eagles next take the field Wednesday, March 15 against Young Harris. First pitch is at 2 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network will be available at cneagles.com/live.
