JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No. 18 Carson-Newman (24-4, 5-1 South Atlantic Conference) smashed Catawba (4-16, 0-6 SAC) twice with two run-rule, shutout wins Saturday at Whitley Field.
Carson-Newman outscored the Indians 30-0 to score its first sweep in Salisbury since 2010. The Eagles had been 1-9 in their last five trips into Cheerwine Country.
The Eagles rolled to an 18-0 win in five innings in game one before tallying a 12-0 win in five innings in the night cap.
"I don't want to say it's the beat games we have played but we played pretty good," Carson-Newman head softball coach Michael Graves said."Speed was on showcase and saved us a bunch on balls in the infield. It's great when everyone gets to play and produces. Boo, Madison, and Nicko all came in and had great swings for extra base knocks. We had a lot of great at bats and didn't chase. We have really focused on more walks and less strikeouts. Emily had a great day hitting and running."
Syerra Rogers (Graysville, Tenn.) tallied a complete-game, one-hit shutout and carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning of the nightcap.
Boo Sturgill (Wheelersburg, Ohio) hit her first career home run, a grand slam, and drove in five for the doubleheader to lead the team. She was 3-for-4 at the plate.
Six players hit better than .600 for the doubleheader. Sturgill, Mary Vandergriff (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) and Emily Harris (Cumming, Ga.) all hit better than .700.
Madison Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Rachel Kay (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Grace Laws (Palmer, Tenn.) and Addie Lowe (Sweetwater, Tenn.) all tallied their first RBI of the year.
GAME ONE: Carson-Newman 18, Catawba 0 (five innings)
Carson-Newman used a big two-out rally to grab a lead in the top of the first. After two groundouts to short to start the inning, Emily Harris (Cumming, Ga.) singled back up the box before stealing second. Hayden Dye (Powell, Tenn.) roped a double to right to plate Harris to give C-N a 1-0 lead.
After a walk to Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) set the table for Carmen Holt (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) and Mary Vandergriff (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) the duo slashed run-scoring singles to left and to center. Holt knocked in one with her hit, Vandergriff a pair with hers to give C-N a 4-0 lead after a half inning.
The Eagles added to their lead in the top of the second. Natalie Corbin (Tybee Island, Ga.) led off the frame with a double before taking third on the throw. Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.) drove her in with an RBI groundout to short.
Following a Harris single and stolen base,Hughes delivered the Young Harris transfer home with a single to left to put the Eagles up 6-0 through two.
Carson-Newman scraped across more runs in the top of the third. Vandergriff walked to lead off the inning and took second on a passed ball. She moved to third when Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) nipped an infield single to the pitcher and scored on a double-steal with Warder.
Warder scored on an infield single back to the circle from Sohm to push the lead to 8-0.
The Eagles blew the barn doors off the thing in the fourth. The Eagles took advantage of five walks and two errors to score eight times in the inning. Half the runs came from a Boo Sturgill (Wheelersburg, Ohio) grand slam – her first career home run.
C-N scored twice more in the top of the fifth to set the final margin at 18-0. Dye and Sturgill both drove in the runs.
Sara King (Cumming, Ga.) got the win pitching the first three innings of the game giving up two hits while striking out two to improve to 13-2. NicKollette Ferguson (Erwin, Tenn.) pitched the final two frames and didn't surrender a hit.
Sara Finney took the loss to drop to 2-8. She worked the first 3.1 innings, giving up 10 hits and eight runs, seven earned.
Sturgill and Harris guided C-N at the plate, both turning in three-hit days. Sturgill drove in a career-high five runs. Sohm, Dye and Vandergriff all had two-RBI days.
GAME TWO: Carson-Newman 12, Catawba 0 (five innings)
Carson-Newman wasted little time in taking a lead in game two. Corbin tripled to lead off the contest then scored a pitch later when Sohm struck an RBI infield single to short.
C-N kept it up in the top of the second. A walk, a single and a fielder's choice loaded the bases.
Corbin drove in the first run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to center before Sohm ripped a two-run single to left center.
Harris completed the scoring in the second with an RBI single to center to set the Eagles ahead 5-0.
Hughes led off the top of the third with her 10th home run of the year, parking a solo shot off a 2-0 pitch beyond the fence in left field for a 6-0 edge.
C-N kept the pedal down in the fourth with an RBI triple from Sohm, an RBI single from Harris and a two-run double from Hughes that put the game into run-rule territory with a 10-0 advantage through four.
Fergsonn and Corbin hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the top of the fifth to stretch the edge to 12-0.
Sohm was 3-for-3 in the night cap with four RBI. Corbin also went 3-for-3 with two, RBI and a double.
Rogers logged the complete-game shutout to improve to 7-1. She struck out seven and walked four.
Carson-Newman returns to Mossy Creek Tuesday to take on UVA Wise at 1 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network will be available at cneagles.com/live.
