VIDEO: Vickee Hollifield Interview
VIDEO: Lacie Rinus Interview
VIDEO: Morgan Crawford Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No. 20 Carson-Newman (7-3) relied on its pitching staff and got some timely hits late to take both sides of a Sunday afternoon twinbill from Augusta (1-7) at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
Carson-Newman won game one 2-1 before closing out game two 3-1.
The sweep is Carson-Newman's first since Feb. 3 against Lees-McRae. Carson-Newman has now swept Augusta its last two trips to Mossy Creek. The Eagles swept the Jags in 2014 the last time they came to Mossy Creek.
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Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Morgan Crawford (Chickamauga, Ga.) combined for 12 strikeouts through the doubleheader. Rinus collected the win in game one and her second career save in game two. Crawford nabbed the game two victory.
Abby Fiessinger (Benton, Ky.) went 4-for-6 at the plate. Cheyenne Boles (Knoxville, Tenn.) tallied RBI in both games.
Rinus and Kennedy Richardson (Elizabethton, Tenn.) both tallied multi-hit days in game two. Richardson's multi-hit effort was the first of her career.
Game One: No. 20 Carson-Newman 2, Augusta 1
The first of two belongs to the Eagles! @lacieloo22 collects 9️⃣ srikeouts! Second game starting here at the Vick soon.
— C-N Athletics (@CNathletics) February 18, 2018
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Augusta got on the board first, doing so in the second. Ashley Boyd ripped a single up the right field line with one out. Cassie Blizzard then came to the plate and delivered a timely two-out knock.
Blizzard ripped her first career hit to center field. The double brought Boyd around to score from three bases away and gave Augusta a 1-0 lead in the second.
The Eagles leveled things up in the fourth in part thanks to Augusta miscues. Haley Caldwell (Kenova, W.Va.) singled to short with one out. KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) then hit a ground ball to third. Lindsey Stokes airmailed the throw to second to try to get Caldwell, who moved over to third on the error.
Cheyenne Boles (Knoxville, Tenn.) put the bat on the next with a grounder to second. The throw went to second to try to get Levi, Caldwell came home for an unearned run and the Eagles tied things up before leaving runners on the corners.
Carson-Newman would take the lead in the next inning. Haley Kyle (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) struck out swinging to open the inning, but got to first on a wild pitch.
Abby Fiessinger (Benton, Ky.) knocked her third hit of the day up the middle to give the Eagles two base runners. Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.) came in to pinch run for Kyle. She and Fiessinger moved into scoring position on a Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) sacrifice bunt.
Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) put the timely ball in play with an RBI groundout to second that put C-N up 2-1.
Rinus worked through a bases loaded jam with one out in the sixth and then retired the side in order in the seventh to cement the win.
Rinus grabbed the win to improve to 4-2. She struck out nine and walked one. Rinus allowed a season-high eight hits.
Courtney Browne took the loss to fall to 0-3. She gave up four hits and only one of the two runs the Eagles scored on her was earned. She walked one and struck out two.
The win is the first for Carson-Newman this season when they initially trailed in a game.
Game two: Carson-Newman 3, Augusta 1
That's a doubleheader SWEEP! Eagles take game two at the Vick!
— C-N Athletics (@CNathletics) February 18, 2018
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After both teams missed opportunities early, Carson-Newman got a timely base hit in the fourth to grab the lead.
Levi singled down the left field line with an out to give C-N a base runner. An out later, Cheyenne Boles (Knoxville, Tenn.) took advantage of the situation. She knocked a double to right center field to score Levi from three bases away to give C-N a 1-0 advantage.
Carson-Newman added to its lead in the fifth on an Augusta miscue. Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.) led off the inning with a single through the left side. After a pair of outs, Rinus clobbered a base hit to right center field. Sohm moved to third on the play before the centerfielder Savannah Gabriel airmailed a throw home, allowing Sohm to score on the error. The Eagles led 2-0.
The Eagles added another run in the sixth inning thanks to a pair of doubles. Levi doubled to center to lead off the inning, then Haley Caldwell (Kenova, W.Va.) ripped a double down the left field line to score Levi and put C-N up 3-0.
Augusta threatened in the seventh, getting two into scoring position with no one out. However, Rinus entered in the circle and slammed the door shut for her second save of the season.
The Jags got a run late on a Kelsea Hunter sacrifice fly
Crawford collected the win to improve to 3-1 in the circle. She pitched six innings of four-hit ball, allowing one run. She struck out three and walked two.
Rinus entered in the seventh to pick up her second save of her career.
Morgan Hunter took the loss for Augusta. She struck out two and didn't walk a soul, but allowed 10 hits. Two of the Eagles three runs scored on her were earned.
Carson-Newman returns to action Tuesday at Belmont Abbey. First pitch against the Crusaders is set for 1 p.m. Follow @cnathletics on Twitter for live updates from the games.
