VIDEO: Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Cheyenne Boles Interview
VIDEO: Ashlyn Cooper Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (19-7) got a pair of late-inning home runs to power it to a pair of one-run wins en route to a sweep of Young Harris (19-7) Thursday afternoon at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
Cheyenne Boles (Knoxville, Tenn.) belted a two-run bomb in the sixth inning of game one to put the Eagles on the front foot for a 4-3 win. Ashlyn Cooper (Friendsville, Tenn.) came through in the clutch in the night cap with a solo shot to right center to help hand the Eagles the sweep with a 3-2 win.
"When you think back over the course of the 14 innings, we had a bunch of different people who came through," head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "Ashlyn and Cheyenne Boles both had big timely home runs. That gave us some momentum, then we had good timely pitching down the stretch as well."
Allison Webster (Charlestown, Ind.) and Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) combined to strike out 15 on the day. Together, they only allowed one earned run.
The sweep gives Carson-Newman its first ever wins over Young Harris, a team that made the Southeast Region tournament a year ago. The Mountain Lions were unbeaten this season against the SAC coming into the doubleheader.
"It's hard not to look at regionals," Kazee-Hollifield said. "This doubleheader prepares us for conference play and Saturday against Queens. The way that we played today is a must for each conference game the rest of the way."
Game one: Carson-Newman 4, Young Harris 3
A two-out rally helped start the game for Carson-Newman. Taylor Scott (Huntington, W.Va.) doubled to centerfield before KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) got hit and walked, respectively to load the bases. Katie Pritchett (Ringgold, Ga.) brought the go-ahead run in on a seven-pitch walk to put C-N up 1-0.
Young Harris countered in the third with a pair of unearned runs. Jeanie Perrucci led off the inning with a double to left center. Biz Walters tried to lay down a bunt, but popped it in the air back to the circle. Rinus bobbled it and Walters reached successfully on the error. A sacrifice moved the pair into scoring position.
Grace Botti lifted a base hit into right that brought the pair around and gave the Mountain Lions a 2-1 advantage.
Carson-Newman leveled the score in the fifth. Allison Webster (Charlestown, Ind.) reached on a dropped fly ball in left. That set the stage for Abby Fiessinger (Benton, Ky.). The freshman doubled to the wall in center to score Webster and tie the game. The inning saw the Eagles leave runners on the corners.
The Eagles got back in front in the sixth. Rinus led off the inning with a bloop single to left. Pritchett sacrificed her over to second, then Cheyenne Boles (Knoxville, Tenn.) squeezed her third dinger of the year inside the left field foul pole to put C-N in front 4-2.
Young Harris tried to mount a rally in the seventh. Murphy Davis drilled a solo home run to center field for her first bomb of the year with two out, then Grace Botti singled to center to put the tying run on base.
Rinus collected her seventh strikeout of the game to end the threat and cement the win for the Eagles.
Rinus improved to 10-3 on the year with seven Ks and no walks. Young Harris did knock 10 base hits off her, a season high.
Reigning Peach Belt pitcher of the week Nikkie Kovalsky took the loss to fall to 11-4. Three of the four runs she surrendered were earned. She walked three and struck out five.
Carson-Newman rallied after a deficit after four innings for the first time this season.
Game two: Carson-Newman 3, Young Harris 2
An illegal pitch helped bring in the first run of the day for Carson-Newman. Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) initially struck out to end the third to leave Fiessinger stranded on second. However, it was ruled that Jeanie Perrucci had thrown an illegal pitch giving Toppel second life.
She lifted a deep fly ball over the head of the left fielder for a double that gave C-N a 1-0 lead.
Carson-Newman tacked on some insurance in the fifth. Ashlyn Cooper (Friendsville, Tenn.) ripped her second home run of the year, a one-out dinger to right center that extended the Eagles lead to 2-0. Taylor Scott (Huntington, W.Va.) drilled a two-out double to the left center field gap to score Fiessinger and put the Eagles up 3-0.
Those insurance runs were necessary. A half inning later, the Mountain Lions loaded the bases with one out thanks to a pair of walks and an error. Jordie Holt came through with a two-out smash up the gut that scored two and brought the Mountain Lions within a run.
Webster notched the win in the circle to improve to 9-4. Neither of the runs she gave up was earned. She struck out eight and walked four.
Carson-Newman transfer Jeanie Perrucci took the loss for YHC to fall to 8-3. She pitched five innings, giving up three runs and six hits. She struck out eight and didn't walk a batter.
The Eagles open up conference play Saturday at Queens. First pitch with the Royals is set for 1 p.m. from Park Road Park.
