VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Morgen Baker-Celis Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Pitcher Morgen Baker-Celis (Kentfield, Calif.) dealt a four-hit shutout in the nightcap to salvage a split between Carson-Newman (18-10, 11-9 South Atlantic Conference) and Tusculum (14-14, 8-8 SAC) Wednesday afternoon at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
The Pioneers won game one 8-4 for their first win in Jefferson City since 2013 before Baker-Celis fanned four and only surrendered four hits for her second career complete-game shutout.
"Morgen pitched great," Carson-Newman head softball coach Michael Graves said. "That's three straight games she's been on point. She does a good job spinning the ball and keeping hitters off balance. There's no question she's earning innings."
Baker-Celis was exceptionally efficient, only using 65 pitches, 52 of which were strikes, to log the complete-game win.
The Pioneers stranded five C-N runners in crucial situations in game one before the Eagles tallied two timely two-out hits to win in the night cap.
"Hats off to their third baseman Longmire," head coach Michael Graves said. "She saved game one for them. I was proud of the way we came back in game two, we took advantage of the few situations we had in game two."
Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) and Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) are the pairing that tallied the late-inning RBI knocks in the nightcap.
KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) had a multi-hit effort in game one.
GAME ONE: Tusculum 8, Carson-Newman 4
Tusculum lit the lamp first in the first. With two out, Alexis Grampp tomahawked a 1-0 pitch to right to stake the Pioneers to an early 1-0 lead.
Carson-Newman would counter with a two-out blast of its own in the bottom of the first. KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) slashed her seventh double of the year to the left center alleyway with one away.
After a strikeout, Katie Eakes clobbered a 2-2 pitch to straight away center to score two and give C-N a 2-1 lead.
Tusculum drew even in the top of the second. Kiley Longmire walked to lead off the frame before Emily Sappington doubled to the wall in right center to give the Pioneers two in scoring position with no one out. Hayley Lazo dropped down a squeeze bunt to score Longmire to draw even at 2-2, but that would be the only run Tusculum would scrape across in the inning.
The Pioneers raced back in front in the third thanks to two-out hitting and an Eagle miscue. An error on a sacrifice bunt gave the Pioneers two base runners without an out. A Grampp SAC bunt moved the pair into scoring position before a groundout to Rinus put the second out on the board.
Longmire knocked a double to the wall in right to score two then she scored on a Sappington knock back up the box. The three unearned runs gave the Pioneers a 5-2 lead.
C-N responded in the bottom of the third with a two-out rally of its own. Sohm nipped a one-out single to third before the Eagles loaded the bases with two out thanks to Shannon Smith (Channahon, Ill.) getting plunked and Eakes walking.
Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) came up with the clutch knock with a bloop single to right to score two and pull C-N within one, 5-4.
The Pioneers scored for a fourth straight frame in the fourth. A leadoff walk and an Alloway single to center gave the Pioneers a 6-4 lead.
Tusculum played insurance in the seventh with RBI knocks from Freischmidt and Sappington to extend the Pioneers lead to 8-4.
Carson-Newman left the bases loaded in the fourth after juicing them in the fourth and had two on with one out in the seventh.
Emily Sappington logged the win to improve to 6-6 on the year. She gave up eight hits and four runs, all earned. She walked one and fanned five.
Rinus took the loss to drop to 5-9. She gave up 11 hits, eight runs, five earned. Rinus walked three and didn't collect a K.
Sappington and Alloway both tallied three-hit days for the Pioneers.
Levi had a multi-hit day for the Eagles.
GAME TWO: Tusculum 2, Carson-Newman 0
Carson-Newman at long last dented the scoreboard in the fourth with some two-out magic. Eakes singled to lead off the inning. A pinch-running Madison Mathis (Chattanooga, Tenn.) took second on a Makayla McCarthy (El Cajon, Calif.) sac bunt.
Rinus scored her on a 1-0, two-out knock through the left side for a 1-0 edge for the Eagles.
The Eagles added on some insurance in the fifth. SieAnna Cameron (Friendsville, Tenn.) led off the frame with a single ripped up the middle. She stole second on a strikeout and raced home on Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn,) two-out slash over the third base bag for a 2-0 lead.
Baker-Celis locked up the win by facing the minimum three times. She moves to 4-0 on the year with the four-hit shutout.
Keylon Reynolds took the loss to fall to 2-1. She gave up four hits and both runs, earned, in a 4.0 inning start.
Carson-Newman has postponed its Thursday doubleheader against Lees-McRae. The Eagles will eye a Monday twinbill at home against Catawba. The 1 p.m. first pitch will be available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live.
