VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Sara King Interview
VIDEO: Hayden Dye Interview
VIDEO: Mary Vandergriff Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (5-1) rallied from a pair of deficits to take two wins from Lees-McRae (0-4) Wednesday afternoon at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
Carson-Newman scored four unanswered runs to pick up a 5-2 win from Lees-McRae in game one before tagging two sixth-inning home runs for a 5-3 win in the nightcap.
The Eagles have won 18 straight games against the Bobcats.
"We were really gritty today," Carson-Newman head softball coach Michael Graves said. "I was proud of the way they just kept with things and didn't give up or get discouraged. They always kept trying to push runs across. We had a few things to deal with in terms of mental errors."
Sara King (Cumming, Ga.) logged wins in both games, tallying a complete game effort in game one and a 2.0-inning relief win in game two. She struck out five batters and only allowed seven hits in nine innings while only issuing one walk.
"She did a good job," Graves said. "The ball came up some and there were a couple pitches that got more of the plate than we wanted to. She did a good job fending off what is a very scrappy Lees-McRae team."
Hayden Dye (Powell, Tenn.) paced Carson-Newman at the plate. She was 4-for-6 with two home runs and four runs batted in.
"I love that kid," Graves said. "Her whole mindset is see ball. Hit ball. She is going to wait on her pitch and then hit it. She is strong.
Emily Harris (Cumming, Ga.) was 3-for-6 with three RBI.
Lees-McRae was 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position for the twinbill.
GAME ONE: Carson-Newman 5, Lees-McRae 2
Lees-McRae lit the lamp first in the top of the first. Aliyah Compton led off the game with a triple to left center and scored a batter later on a Julie Gast sacrifice fly to left to give LMC an early 1-0 lead.
Carson-Newman countered in the bottom of the first. Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.) reached on an error then stole second. She took third on an Emily Harris (Cumming, Ga.) infield single and scored on a Hayden Dye (Powell, Tenn.) RBI groundout to even the score at 1-1.
Lees-McRae wouldn't keep it tied for long. Jordyn Scott led off the second by tanking the first pitch she saw over the fence in left. The solo bomb put LMC up 2-1.
Carson-Newman grabbed the lead in the bottom of the third.
3️⃣ Runs in the third. @haydendye4 puts the punctuation mark on the stanza with a single to center.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) February 9, 2022
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SieAnna Cameron (Alcoa, Tenn.) singled to third to lead off the inning before Natalie Corbin (Tybee Island, Ga.) walked. A Sohm infield single to the pitcher loaded the bases.
Harris tied the game with an RBI fielder's choice to short before Corbin stole home as a part of a double steal to give C-N the lead. Dye added to it with an RBI single up the middle to give C-N a 4-2 lead through three.
Carson-Newman played add on in the bottom of the fifth when Dye cranked a dinger onto the roof of the hitting facility in left. Dye cranked a 1-0 pitch out of the park to give C-N a 5-2 lead.
Sara King (Cumming, Ga.) retired the final 11 batters to improve to 3-0 on the year. She fired the complete game with six hits and two runs allowed, both earned. She struck out four and walked one.
Megan Powell took the loss for LMC to fall to 0-2. She surrendered nine hits and five runs, four earned.
GAME TWO: Carson-Newman 5, Lees-McRae 3
Lees-McRae used the long ball to take an early lead in the night cap. Emma Jackson clobbered the first home run of her season to straight away center to give the Bobcats a 1-0 lead following the leadoff jack to start the second.
Carson-Newman found its offense in the bottom of the fourth. Corbin and Sohm started the inning with back-to-back hits and found themselves both in scoring position thanks to aggressive base running on Sohm's singles.
Harris came through with a two-run bloop single to left that put Carson-Newman up 2-1. Harriis later scored when Dye reached on an error at second to give C-N a 3-1 lead after four.
Lees-McRae was able to get a run back in the top of the fifth without getting a hit. Compton led off the inning with a walk and took second on a bobbed throw at the bag on a fielder's choice.
She moved to third on a Foster fielder's choice at short and then scored on an RBI groundout from Jackson to the circle that made it a 3-2 ball game. The Bobcats left the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position in the inning.
Lees-McRae tied it in the bottom of the sixth on a Gast two-out RBI double to left center.
Carson-Newman got the lead back in the bottom of the sixth. Dye led off the frame by popping up a ball into the jet stream in left. The wind carried the 0-1 pitch out of the park to give C-N a 4-3 lead. Three batters later, Mary Vandergriff (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) came up with two out and roped her first career home run to left center for an insurance run and a 5-3 lead.
GOOD BYE SOFTBALL! @haydendye4 blasts one over the fence to put the Eagles back on top.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) February 9, 2022
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King retired the Bobcats in order in the seventh to secure the win.
King got the win in relief to move to 4-0. She pitched the final 2.0 innings allowing a hit but no runs. Syerra Rogers (Graysville, Tenn.) logged a 5.0-inning start. She gave up six hits and three runs, two earned with three walks and five Ks.
Raygan Rensing took the loss in relief for the Bobcats. She pitched the final inning and gave up the two home runs.
Jana Wilson fired the first 5.0 innings allowing six hits and three runs, all earned. Neither Lees-McRae pitcher walked a batter.
Carson-Newman heads to the Charger Chillout for six games in three days starting Friday.
