VIDEO: Vickee Hollifield Interview
VIDEO: Haley Caldwell Interview
VIDEO: Taylor Scott Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman (26-14) broke out the big bats and drilled eight extra base hits to collect a doubleheader sweep from the Erskine Flying Fleet (19-13) Monday afternoon at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
Carson-Newman won game one 6-0 before tallying a 10-4 triumph in the nightcap.
"We came out and just really hit well," head softball coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "It wasn't just three or four players, we had six or seven kids who really hit the ball exceptionally well today. I like our chances a lot when that happens."
Taylor Scott (Huntington, W.Va.) homered twice and drove in five while Haley Caldwell (Kenova, W.Va.) went 4-for-6 at the plate with six runs batted in and a three-hit day in the night cap. Six players had multi-hit days on the afternoon while Caldwell, Scott, Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) all drove in multiple runs.
Lacie Rinus carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning of game one. She came within five outs of her first career no-no. However, she did tally up her 18th career shutout. Morgan Crawford (Chickamauga, Ga.) went the distance in game two with a quartet of punchouts.
Game 1: Carson-Newman 6, Erskine 0
The Eagles came out strong from the beginning of the game and held momentum the rest of the day.
Carson-Newman got the offense cooking early in the bottom of the first inning. Abby Fiessinger (Benton Ky.) led things off with an infield single to short. KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) stepped up to the plate and moved Fiessinger to second with a sacrificed bunt. Rinus then took first on a base on balls before, the duo moved into scoring position on a wild pitch made by Erskine's Samantha Schmidt.
The Eagles scored two runs thanks to Hayley Caldwell's (Kenova, W.V.) RBI double on a screamer over the head of the Fleet's centerfielder. Caldwell helped the Eagles again taking home home due to another wild pitch from Schmidt.
Both teams were mired in the offensive doldrums for the next four frames before the Eagles struck again in the sixth.
Taylor Scott (Huntington, W.V) provided the fireworks. After a single and a throwing error, the Eagles had runners on second and third with one out. Scott tanked the first pitch she saw deep into the pine trees in left center for her first home run in 152 at-bats. The three-run shot scored Valerie Seay (Cross Plain, Tenn.) and Madison Mathis (Chattanooga, Tenn.) to put C-N up 6-0.
Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) improved to 16-8 on the year with her 18th career shutout. She struck out nine and walked three. Rinus carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Sydney Smith doubled into the right centerfield alley way.
Samantha Schmidt took the complete-game loss for the Fleet to fall to 4-2. She gave up seven hits. Of the six runs that Carson-Newman scored against her, five were earned. Schmidt walked one and struck out three.
��������@tbs_veryfunnny muscled up twice today for @cnsball pic.twitter.com/KZnW4teaF9
— C-N Athletics (@CNathletics) April 10, 2018
Game 2: Carson-Newman 10, Erskine 4
It was Erskine who lit the lamp first in game two. Morgan Crawford (Chickiamuaga, Ga) gave up a double to Brittany Reynolds. Then, Reagan Davies stepped to the plate and delivered a two-out RBI double to bring Reynolds home. Erskine carried its momentum into the second inning with a RBI by Brooke Rhinehardt to bring Destiny Miller home with another two-out RBI double squeezed down the left field line. That knock put Erskine up 2-0 after an inning and a half.
That's when Carson-Newman's offense came to life in the bottom of the second.
Cheyanne Boles (Knoxville, Tenn.) began the bottom of the second inning with a single up the middle. Flex player Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) entered to run for the designated player and advanced to second on a wild pitch, then stole third shortly after. Scott scored her with an RBI groundout to short to get a run back for the Eagles. An error and an Ashlyn Cooper (Friendsville, Tenn.) base hit gave C-N a pair of one-out base runners. Levi took advantage with a single to center field, bringingCooper home and Crawford to third, tying the game. Caldwell then hammered home the Eagles advantage drilling a two-run single through the left side to put C-N up 4-2.
Carson-Newman's lead wouldn't last long. Erskine tied the game in the fourth with two unearned runs. Jill Sprauge stole home as a part of a double steal and Brittany Rhinehardt knocked a two-out triple to center to even things up at four apiece.
However, Carson-Newman responded with six unanswered to close up shop on the sweep.
In the bottom of the fourth, Abby Fiessinger (Benton, Ky.) tripled to lead off the inning before Levi doubled her home. Caldwell padded the Eagles lead to 6-4 with a base hit into left.
C-N scored three more times in the bottom of the fifthRinus showed out with a double down the left field line, giving herself two RBI. A batter later, Caldwell doubled her in, cranking one to left to put C-N up 9-4.
Scott rounded out the scoring with a solo bomb to left to set the final margin at 10-4.
Crawford got the complete-game victory in the circle for the Eagles to improve to 10-5. Of the four runs scored against her, two were earned. She gave up six hits, a walk and struck out four.
Sheridan Butcher took the loss in relief for the Fleet to fall to 0-2. She gave up four hits and four runs, all earned in relief of Chloe Hamilton.
The Eagles return to SAC play Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Tusculum. Coverage will be available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live.
