VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For just the second time in series history, Newberry (12-6, 5-5 South Atlantic Conference) took both side of a doubleheader from Carson-Newman (13-5, 8-4 SAC) Saturday at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
The Wolves rallied from a three-run deficit in game one for a 7-5 win before tallying a 6-5 eight-inning win in the night cap. Carson-Newman rallied from a five-run deficit to force extra innings before the Wolves got the timely knock in the eighth to win it.
"We still had some good at-bats," Carson-Newman head softball coach Michael Graves said. "Our offense definitely kept us in it. We battled back to give us a chance in game two. If you look at it, they scored 10 runs in two innings. Other than that it was a solid afternoon."
Carson-Newman outhit Newberry in both games. The losses marked just the sixth and seventh time the Eagles have been defeated in the Graves era when outhitting their opponent and the first time C-N has ever been swept when doing so.
C-N issued 11 walks in the twinbill and hit six batters to issue 17 total free passes.
Shannon Smith (Channahon, Ill.) extended her hitting streak out to 14 straight games. She was 4-for-7 through the doubleheader with three RBI and three doubles.
GAME ONE: Newberry 7, Carson-Newman 5
Newberry used the long ball to grab an early lead. Mackenzie Barneycastle worked a one-out walk before Hannah Towery tanked a 2-2 pitch to right for a two-run home run and a 2-0 lead.
It didn't take long for C-N to counter. Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.) reached on an error at short to start the inning, stole second and took third on a throwing error by the catcher. KaraLynne (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) took a deep drive to left that Paige Myer grabbed at the wall.
The play allowed Sohm to tag and score easily for a SAC fly. After a one-out walk to Shannon Smith (Channahon, Ill.), Katie Eakes (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) clobbered a 3-1 pitch down the right field line for a 3-2 Eagle lead.
The Eagles added to their lead in the bottom of the third. Levi clobbered her third home run of the season to center field to lead off the frame and extend the Eagles' lead to 4-2.
Carson-Newman padded its lead in the bottom of the fourth. SieAnna Cameron (Friendsivlle, Tenn.) and Sohm tallied back-to-back two-out knocks to left. Sohm's triple scored Cameron to make it a 5-2 Eagle lead.
It would be short-lived. Newberry chased starter Lacie Rinus from the game in the top of the fifth. The Wolves scored their first two runs of the inning of a wild pitch and a muffed throw at second on a double steal.
Then Hailey Hill and Kasey Widmyer knocked back-to-back doubles to left to give Newberry a 6-5 lead. An RBI single from Mallena Wright extended the edge to 7-5.
The Wolves withstood an Eagle chance in the sixth. Carson-Newman loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth, but Newberry got a punchout and a groundout to end the threat.
Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) took the loss to drop to 5-4 on the year. She went 4.1 innings giving up six hits and seven runs while walking five.
Carson-Newman's pitching staff issued eight free passes as a team for the first time since March 22, 2018..
Kasey Widmyer collected the win to improve to 4-2. She worked the first four innings, giving up five hits and five runs, four earned.
Alyssa Ball collected a three-inning save with three innings of four-hit shutout ball.
GAME TWO: Newberry 6, Carson-Newman 5 (eight innings)
Newberry struck first in game two in the top of the third. Paige Meyer led off the frame with a single up the middle. Barneycastle drove her in with a double to right center before Towery clocked a two-run blast to centerfield for a 3-0 lead without an out recorded.
Kasey Widmyer kept at it for a bases-clearing triple that extended the Wolves lead to 5-0.
Carson-Newman's offense finally got on track in the fifth. Rinus led off the inning with a walk before the next two batters were retired via a groundout to third and a fly out to left.
Sohm snapped an infield single to short before KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) worked a base on balls.
That set the stage for Smith. The sophomore slammed a bases-clearing double to the wall in left center to pull C-N within two, 5-3.
Carson-Newman kept the rally rolling in the sixth. Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) got plunked with one out. Following a K, Keeley Quillen (Gate City, Va.) knocked a bloop single down the left line to give C-N runners on the corners.
Haley Schultz (Knoxville, Tenn.) delivered a pinch-hit double down the left field line off the wall. That plated Hughes and got C-N within a run, 5-4.
With the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position though, C-N couldn't keep the rally rolling as Maddie Gillett (Howell, Mich.) struck out to end the inning.
Carson-Newman took it to extras in the seventh with a two-out RBI knock to left from Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.).
However, it was Newberry who tallied the timely knock in extras to collect the sweep. The international-rule runner Regan Glanz moved to third on a sacrifice before scoring when Wright hit a smoker through the right side.
C-N got its international-rule runner, Valerie Seay (Cross Plain, Tenn.), to third on a sacrifice bunt. However, a line out to left and a pop up to second ended the Eagles threat.
Ally Sullivan notched the complete game win for the Wolves to improve to 6-2. She allowed nine hits and five runs, all earned, while walking three and fanning seven.
Makayla McCarthy (El Cajon, Calif.) took the hard-luck loss in relief to fall to 1-1. She fired 4.1 innings in relief. She didn't allow a hit until Wright's rip through the right side in the eighth. She gave up just one hit.
Carson-Newman returns to action Sunday at 1 p.m. against Bluefield State. The contests will be available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live.
