HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Haley Caldwell (Kenova, W.Va.) drilled her team-leading seventh homer of the season but Carson-Newman dropped two games to Coker Friday afternoon at Saleeby-Stokes Field.
The Cobras won game one 5-2 before run-ruling the Eagles 8-0 in five innings in the nightcap. It marks the first time that Carson-Newman has been run-ruled this year and the third straight regular season game in Hartsville that the Eagles have been shut out.
"We just didn't play well today. We gave good effort today, but we didn't have good discipline at times today," head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "This was a bit like a roller coaster, we hit a valley today and struggled to get out of it. We had to play some people in different positions because of injuries and that affected things today. We just have to go back to work because we're still playing for a lot."
The Eagles, the league's leaders in fielding percentage, made five errors on the day.
Game one: Coker 5, Carson-Newman 2
Coker grabbed the lead in the first thanks to some defensive miscues by the Eagles. A single, a walk and an error loaded the bases for the Cobras with one out in the bottom of the first.
Hannah Goodman then reached first on a second throwing error by the Eagles' shortstop Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) allowed two runs to score.
Another walk loaded the bases for the Cobras before Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) walked her third batter of the inning to bring in the third run of the frame.
Carson-Newman got a pop up to end the frame, but not before the Cobras struck for three unearned runs off one hit to take a 3-0 lead after one.
Coker stretched its lead in the second. A hit batter and a sacrifice started the frame to get Coker a run in the scoring position. Maria Williamson delivered a one-out single to right center to put Coker up 4-0.
Carson-Newman began to work into the deficit in the top of the fourth. Rinus led off the frame with a double to center before Haley Caldwell (Kenova, W.Va.) drilled a two-run home run down the left field line to make it 4-2 in favor of the Cobras.
Coker added a run back to the advantage in the bottom of the sixth. In infield single to third and a sacrifice gave Coker a runner in scoring position with one out. Anna Gluhosky drilled one back up the middle to score the runner and put Coker up 5-2.
Carson-Newman brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh inning with one out after walks for Ashlyn Cooper (Friendsville, Tenn.) and Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.). However, Taylor Forehand got two straight strikeouts to pick up a save and get the Cobras the win.
Rinus got the loss to drop to 15-7. Rinus only struck out one, a season low for a start. She walked six and hit another two batters. Coker got six hits off Rinus and scored five runs off her, however, only two were earned.
Nikki Linthicum grabbed the win for the Cobras with four inning pitched and four hits allowed. She gave up both of the Cobras runs. Taylor Forehand got the save, striking out the final two batters of the game on eight pitches.
Game two: Coker 8, Carson-Newman 0 (five innings)
Coker again was the first team to strike. The Cobras loaded the bases in the first off a single and two walks. Makayla Shore delivered with an RBI base knock to left field to give Coker a 1-0 lead.
Morgan Crawford (Chickamauga, Ga.) worked through the jam though and left the bases loaded to limit the damage to a run.
Coker got back on the board in the fifth inning. A single, a fielder's choice where C-N failed to make an out and a sacrifice gave the Cobras two runners in scoring position. Shore again delivered with a one-out double to the left centerfield alley way to push the Cobras' lead to 3-0.
A pair of singles through the right side kept the merry-go-round rolling with Brianna Strickland knocking the second through the right side to drive in a run that extended the lead to 4-0.
Hannah Goodman drove in two more on a pinch-hit at-bat with a single up the middle before Maria Williamson walked it off with a two-RBI single to centerfield.
Forehand worked the complete-game, one-hit shutout to get to 6-4. She struck out five.
Crawford took the loss in the circle for C-N to drop to 9-5. She gave up nine hits and walked four. Of the eight runs she allowed, six were earned.
The Eagles return home Monday for a nonconference doubleheader with Erskine at 2 p.m. Coverage of the games will be available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live.