VIDEO: Vickee Hollifield Interview
VIDEO: Taylor Scott Interview
VIDEO: Lacie Rinus Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (25-7, 6-0 South Atlantic Conference) pounded out 28 hits and played error free in the infield for a sixth straight game to take a pair of run rule wins from Catawba (9-26, 2-4 SAC) Saturday afternoon at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
The Eagles stretched their win streak to 11 games with an 8-0, six-inning run rule win and a 9-1, six-inning, run-rule win in the night cap. Carson-Newman has won double-digit games consecutively for the first time since 2010 and the 22nd time as a program.
"The last six ballgames, our defense has been some of the best I've seen in a good while," head softball coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "They make tough play after tough play. That's a critical advantage for us."
Carson-Newman hit .475 as a team for the doubleheader with six doubles, five alone in game two, and a triple.
Taylor Scott (Huntington, W.Va.) powered the Carson-Newman offense with a 5-for-5 day at the plate. She drove in four for the doubleheader. Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) went 6-for-8 while battling a cold with two doubles and a triple. She also hurled a complete-game shutout in game one.
Even with the offense clicking, Kazee-Hollifield pointed to the work of the infield defensively.
"We have two freshmen at first and second, but they don't play like freshmen," Kazee-Hollifield said. "I think Kristen Toppel could play from first to third how she's playing. She brings so much energy and is reading it incredibly well off the bat. Then Katie Pritchett, she's been invaluable at third."
Every player who played reached base on the day for Carson-Newman.
"What's exciting about this team is that they look at things through a coaches' eye," Kazee-Hollifield said. "We're looking to fine tune and get better at the little things. I think they want to do that and that's really fun to coach.
Game one: Carson-Newman 8, Catawba 0 (six innings)
Carson-Newman grabbed the lead in the second. Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) led off the inning with a triple to the right center gap. She scored three pitches later when Allison Webster (Charlestown, Ind.) knocked a base hit to right.
Following a pop up bunt, Abby Fiessinger (Benton, Ky.) and Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) knocked singles through the right side and to short, respectively to load the bases. Taylor Scott got plunked to bring in the second run of the inning. The Eagles, however, left the bases loaded with a fielder's choice to the circle and a strike out.
The Eagles picked up where they left off in the third. Katie Pritchett (Ringgold, Ga.) doubled to right center to lead off the inning. C-N had two in scoring position following a Rinus single down the left field line.
Webster delivered her second RBI of the day with a SAC fly to right center that put C-N up 3-0. Fiessinger delivered the second run off the inning in the form of Rinus with a smash up the middle of the infield. An unassisted double play by the Indians' shortstop Keri Faulkner on a line out limited the damage to just two runs.
The Eagles further added to their lead in the fourth. Pritchett drove in one with an RBI single to center, the Webster added her third and fourth RBI of the day on a two-out bloop single that landed between the centerfielder Kristen Stinnard and right fielder Leah Higgens. That put the Eagles up 7-0.
C-N walked it off the in the sixth via the run-rule. Heather Foreman (Knoxville, Tenn.) came through in the clutch with a base-loaded knock through the left side that gave the Eagles' the requisite 8-0 edge to end it early.
Rinus got the win for C-N to improve to 13-3. She walked five, struck out six and only allowed five hits. The Indians were 0-for-7 against her with runners in scoring position.
Brooke Walser took the complete game loss for the Indians to fall to 6-10. She surrendered 14 hits. All eight runs the Eagles scored on her were earned.
Rinus, Webster, Fiessinger, Scott and Pritchett all produced multi-hit days, while Webster tallied her first career four-RBI day.
Game two: Carson-Newman 9, Catawba 1 (six innings)
Much like game one, Carson-Newman struck first in game two. The Eagles got a pair of base runners on with a walk for Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) and an infield single for Taylor Scott (Huntington, W.Va.).
KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) cleared them from the bases with a double to the left centerfield gap to put C-N up 2-0.
The Indians countered quickly the next half inning. Grace Holland ripped a one-out double to right center with a runner in scoring position to bring the deficit down to one, 2-1. However, Webster induced a pair of groundouts to end the threat.
The Eagles extended the lead back to two runs in the third. After a walk for Scott and a double down the left field line for KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Rinus blooped a double down the left field line that brought in Scott. The freshman's RBI made it a 3-1 game in favor of C-N.
In the fourth, Carson-Newman loaded the bases with no one out with infield singles for Kennedy Richardson (Elizabethton, Tenn.) and Toppel sandwiched around a Fiessinger base hit to left center.
Scott drilled a double to center field to clear the bases and put C-N in front 6-1. Rinus tagged on another run with a double over the head of the leftfielder that brought Scott around and pushed the Eagle lead to 7-1.
Carson-Newman again walked it off via the run-rule in the sixth. The Eagles brought the first run of the inning with help from an error. Rinus singled to the right of the pitching circle. A throw to first was late and popped out of the first baseman's mitt. Scott took advantage of the miscue and raced home while Levi moved to third to extend the lead to 8-1.
A batter later, Pritchett walloped a deep fly ball to right center. Levi tagged up and scored on the sacrifice fly that saw the Eagles walk it off early 9-1.
Webster got the win in the circle to move to 12-4. She struck out four and surrendered five base hits.
Kaylee Cook took the loss for Catawba to fall to 2-11. She gave up 14 hits in 5.2 innings of work.
Scott and Rinus each tallied three-hit, multi-RBI performances in the night cap. Levi, Fiessinger and Toppel all had multi-hit efforts.
The Eagles are back in action Monday at 1 p.m. against Brevard. Coverage of the contest will be available at cneagles.com/live on the Eagle Sports Network.
