VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
VIDEO: Shannon Smith Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (8-2, 3-1 South Atlantic Conference) plated runs in 11 of 12 innings piling up 26 hits and 18 runs in taking two from Coker (4-6, 0-4 SAC) Thursday afternoon at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
Carson-Newman won game one 9-5 before tallying a 9-4 win in the nightcap.
"Anytime you hit in 12 innings, and score in 11 of them, you're hitting the ball pretty well," Carson-Newman head softball coach Michael Graves said. "I can't say enough about their approach at the plate because it's somehow getting better every game."
Meanwhile, Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) matched a career high with 12 strikeouts, her sixth 12-punchout performance of her career, in the Eagles' game-one win.
"We kept the ball in the ballpark and generated ground balls," Graves said. "I'm overjoyed with that. Neither pitcher should've had to pitch in the sixth inning. We should've ended ballgames early today."
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— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) March 4, 2021
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Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.) was bonkers at the plate, tallying a pair of three-hit days. She was 6-for-9 at the dish and scored five runs.
Meanwhile, Shannnon Smith (Channahon, Ill.) socked two doubles, a dinger and drove in five runs. Macey Hughes drilled her first career home run in the twinbill while Haley Caldwell (Kenova, W.Va.) clobbered her 19th.
"Shannon is a phenomenal hitter," Graves said. "Macey is a spark plug. She'll be great for four years. We knew Caldwell was due. She just inches closer to that school record for home runs."
Carson-Newman hit .486 with runners on base and .400 (10-for-25) with runners in scoring position.
The Eagles have tallied double-digit hits in five out of their last six games.
GAME ONE: Carson-Newman 9, Coker 5
Carson-Newman took advantage of a Coker miscue to grab a lead in the bottom of the first. Shannon Smith (Channahon, Ill.) reached on an error at short to start a two-out rally. She moved to second on a Katie Eakes (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) ground ball through the left side. Haley Caldwell (Kenova, W.Va.) knocked in her first run of the year with an RBI single through the left side to plate Smith and give C-N a 1-0 lead.
The Eagles continued their two-out hitting trends in the second. SieAnna Cameron (Friendsville, Tenn.) and Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.) showcased their wheels with back-to-back two-out infield knocks to set the table for KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.). Levi slammed a double to centerfield to clear the bases and give C-N a 3-0 lead.
Coker countered with a two-run top of the third. Chloe Pelham plated Mackeznie Harmon, who had tripled with one out, thanks to an RBI ground out to second. After an Ava Jay single to left, Bailey Douglas singled to center to plate Jay and pull Coker within one, 3-2.
Carson-Newman got a run back in the bottom of the third thanks to more two out hitting. Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) got plunked to start the rally. She moved to second on a Rinus knock to left center. Haley Schultz (Knoxville, Tenn.) then drove in Hughes with a single up the middle. Rinus tried to take two bases on the play, but was tagged at third 8-3-5 right after Hughes crossed home to give C-N a 4-2 lead.
The Eagles used the long ball to extend the lead in the bottom of the fourth. A leadoff double from Camera and a bunt single from Sohm gave the Eagles runners on the corners. Smith crushed the first pitch she got three-quarters of the way up the pine trees in left field. The three-run blast was Smith's third of the year and gave C-N a 7-2 lead.
Rinus delivered an RBI groundout to plate Hughes in the bottom of the fifth, and Smith clobbered an RBI double to the wall to left to set the margin at 9-2.
6⃣ innings
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) March 4, 2021
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Coker scored three times in the top of the seventh to set the final margin at 9-5.
Lacie Rinus matched a career high with 12 strikeouts in the circle, her sixth game with 12 punchouts. . She improved to 3-2 with the win. She gave up six hits and five runs, all earned.
Jordyn Goodman took the loss in a 4.0-inning start to drop to 1-1. She gave up 10 hits and seven runs, with six earned. She didn't walk anyone and struck out one.
Bailey Douglas led Coker in game one with a 2-for-3 day.
Sohm had her third career three-hit day, with three runs scored. Smith was 2-for-4 with four driven in.
GAME TWO: Carson-Newman 9, Tusculum 4
Coker struck first in game two. Madison King and Ava Jay started the top of the second with back-to-back singles before the pair moved into scoring position with a double steal. King raced home for a 1-0 lead on a fielder's choice to short from Mikayla Goodwin.
The Eagles rallied to grab the lead in the bottom of the second. Rinus and Makayla McCarthy tallied back-to-back one out singles up the middle to get the Eagles in business. Cameron scored one with a single through the right side before McCarthy raced home on a throwing error on a stolen base by Sohm to give C-N a 2-1 lead.
Carson-Newman added to it in the bottom of the third via the long ball. Hughes cranked a 3-2, two-out pitch off the scoreboard in centerfield. The home run was the first of her career and gave C-N a 3-1 lead.
The Cobras countered in the top of the fourth. King led off the inning with a triple and scored on a Jay bloop single to center to pull Coker within one, 3-2. The next at bat, Goodwin banged a ball off the wall in left center for a double. Jay tried to score from three bases away, but was retired at the dish 7-4-2.
Carson-Newman grabbed some insurance in the bottom of the fourth. Smith doubled in Sohm who singled to start the inning. Smith then moved to second on a wild pitch and scored when Eakes slammed a 3-1 pitch through the right side. That knock extended C-N's lead to 5-2.
Then, Haley Caldwell (Kenova, W.Va.) bashed a 0-1 pitch to left center for her 19th career home run. The two-run shot pushed C-N in front 7-2.
The Eagles added to their edge in the fifth with an RBI fielder's choice from Eakes to stretch the edge to 8-2.
Coker carved the lead to four in the top of the sixth. Pelham slipped a single through the left side to score two and make it an 8-4 ballgame.
McCarthy tallied a multi-hit effort with an RBI double to left to stretch the edge back to five runs in the bottom of the sixth, 9-4.
McCarthy got the win in relief in the circle. She fired 5.1 innings to go to 1-0 on the year. McCarthy allowed six hits and three runs, all earned, while walking two and fanning three.
Hannah Fisher took her second loss of the year for Coker to fall to 3-2. She pitched the first three innings, surrendering five hits and three runs with four walks and three Ks.
Carson-Newman hits the field Saturday for its first road game at Queens at 1 p.m.
