DUE WEST, S.C. – Carson-Newman (15-3) logged 13 two-out hits and batted .619 with two away to power to a run-rule and an extra-innings win Friday afternoon at the Erskine Softball Complex.
Carson-Newman won its first game of the day, 9-1 in run-rule fashion in five innings over Concord (2-6) before needing eight innings to rally past host Erskine (2-5) in the night cap. Carson-Newman scored its final six runs all with two out to win 11-9.
"We battled back through several things that were uncharacteristic of our team," Carson-Newman head softball coach Michael Graves said. "All those things added up to put us in a bad situation. We just kept grinding and found a way to win an ugly but exciting game against Erskine.
Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) snapped out of an 0-of-15 stretch at the plate in a big way. She went 5-for-7 between the two games with a home run, three driven in and four runs scored.
Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.) added to her nation-leading tally of hits with five more, including a double, two triples and four driven in.
SieAnna Cameron (Alcoa, Tenn.) stretched her hitting streak out to 14 straight games by going 4-of-8 at the plate.
Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) became the first player to homer in back-to-back plate appearances for Carson-Newman since Shannon Smith did it at UVA Wise on March 16, 2021.
"Macey really got us going with her solo blast," Graves said. "Carmen, Leah, and Kennady really had big moments for us today in important situations. My thought down two with bases loaded was when we have Leah in the box leading the country in hits and Emily on deck, we were still in a great spot even with the two outs. It's good to see some different faces contribute when our big bats were off a little bit."
GAME ONE: Carson-Newman 9, Concord 1 (five innings)
Carson-Newman took advantage of free bases early and often to build its lead.
The Eagles scored their first run of the game without tallying a hit after Natalie Corbin (Tybee Island, Ga.) and Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.) walked to lead off the game. A couple of stolen bases and a wild pitch later, Corbin raced home to give C-N a 1-0 lead. Emily Harris (Cumming, Ga.) followed with an RBI single to center before Syerra Rogers (Graysville, Tenn.) wrapped up the scoring in the inning with a bases loaded walk to put C-N on the front foot 3-0 after one.
Concord countered in the bottom of the first with a two-out solo home run from Marie Pulliam to pull within two, but that would be the extent of the offense for the Mountain Lions.
Carson-Newman put up three more runs in the top of the second with an RBI double from Sohm, another bases-loaded walk to Rogers and a Carmen Holt (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) RBI single to center. That stretched the Eagles' lead back to five runs, 6-1.
After a scoreless third, Carson-Newman wrapped things up in the fourth. After a Rogers one-out double down the left field line, Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) belted a base-hit back up the box to score Rogers from third.
After SieAnna Cameron (Alcoa, Tenn.) nipped a base hit to left, Corbin got the Eagles into an aggressive base-running situation. She scored Warder from second on an RBI single to left. Then she and Cameron both darted off of first and third before each moving up a base with speed and quickness. Cameron scored to set the final margin at 9-1.
Sara King (Cumming, Ga.) went the distance to improve to 8-1 on the year. She scattered four hits and struck out seven without issuing a walk.
Caitlyn Bauer took the loss for Concord to fall to 1-2. She gave up five hits and six runs, all earned in a 2.0-inning start while walking seven and striking out two.
Sohm and Harris both produced multi-hit days, while Rogers drove in multiple runs. Six different Eagles drove in a run in the game.
GAME TWO: Carson-Newman 11, Erskine 9 (eight innings)
Erskine took advantage of free bases to grab an early 1-0 lead. Four walks sandwiched a pair of strikeouts for the Flying Fleet in the bottom of the first to grab a 1-0 lead. Aly Salois bases-loaded base on balls gave the Fleet the lead before King notched a strikeout to end the inning.
The Flying Fleet added on in the bottom of the third. After a lead-off line out, Erskine got a pair of base runners into scoring position after a Shi Cain single and a Maddie Ingram walk.
Kyndall Chandler delivered a run with a single to center before Salois added two more with a base hit up the middle. That gave the Fleet a 4-0 edge after three.
Carson-Newman got one run back in the top of the fourth when Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) pounded a lead off home run to left.
However, Erskine countered immediately in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff home run of their own. Faith Belue went yard to stretch the lead back to four runs, 5-1.
The Eagles came all the way back to take the lead in the top of the fifth. Carson-Newman loaded the bases with one out off an error, a Sohm single up the middle and a walk to Hayden Dye (Powell, Tenn.). Hughes delivered with her first career grand slam and her ninth career blast to tie the game at 5-5.
After a strikeout, Warder ripped a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left center to put the Eagles on top 6-5 with her first career home run.
The Flying Fleet leveled it back up in the bottom of the fifth. A single and a hit batter gave Erskine a pair of base runners with no one out. A Vanessa Harshaw sacrifice bunt moved the pair into scoring position before Katie Hunter drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly to right center.
Erskine retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Cain bombed a two-run home run to center to put the Fleet up 8-6.
Carson-Newman responded in dramatic fashion in the top of the seventh.
With two out, Carson-Newman had the tying run on base thanks to a hit batter. Cameron and Corbin both came up and were down to their final strikes before singling to left center and first base, respectively to juice the bases.
In turn, Sohm fought off seven fouls with a 1-2 count before slicing a pitch to left center to clear the bases and put Carson-Newman up 9-8.
However, Erskine would respond in the bottom of the seventh. Hailey Patterson hit a one-out solo shot to left center to tie the game 9-9 and force extra innings.
Carson-Newman answered the bell in the top of the eighth with another two-out rally. After two strikeouts to start the frame, Warder roped a base hit to right center to score the international-rule runner Mari Robbins (Sweetwater, Tenn.) from third base. Holt followed with a double into the right center gap to give C-N a two-run cushion, 11-9 after plating Warder from three bases away.
Erskine threatened early in the bottom of the eighth with runners on the corners. However, Warder and Sohm thwarted a double steal and retired a run at the plate to put the first out on the board. NicKollette Ferguson (Erwin, Tenn.) induced a couple ground ball outs to put the bow on the win.
Ferguson got the win in relief to move to 2-1 on the year. She worked the final 5.0 innings giving up five hits and four runs, all earned. She walked one and fanned five.
Ingle took the loss in relief for the Flying Fleet. She pitched the final 2.1 innings giving up six hits and five runs, four earned. She struck out six, but also gave up three extra-base hits.
Warder reset her career high with a 4-of-4 day at the plate. She slugged a home run and drove in two.
Sohm tallied her third, three-hit day of the season. Cameron also logged a three-hit day, her fourth of the year.
Hughes drove in five runs with her 2-of-5 day at the plate.
Of the 11 runs C-N scored, six came with two out.
Carson-Newman concludes play at the Bearcat/Fleet Invite Saturday at 1 and 3:30 p.m. against Emmanuel and Lander, respectively.
