VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Emily Harris Interview
VIDEO: Carmen Holt Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman senior second baseman Emily Harris (Cumming, Ga.) tallied her 300th career hit as C-N (25-5, 6-2 South Atlantic Conference) split a doubleheader with UVA Wise (14-8, 6-6 SAC) Tuesday at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
UVA Wise won game one 5-2 with four unanswered runs before the No. 18 Eagles pulverized the Cavs 18-0 in five innings in the night cap.
"Mindset and approach were much better in game two," Carson-Newman head softball coach Michael Graves said. "I'm not saying we came out in game one and had a bad approach, but we were too laid back. We did a lot of little things that combined to cost us that game. Not one of them got us beat, but all of them together got us beat. We didn't take as many pitches in game two and I think that got us going."
Carson-Newman replicated the 18-run margin that it produced Saturday at Catawba. It is tied for the second-largest margin of victory in school history and the third most runs scored in a SAC game in school history.
The Eagles pounded out 20 hits in the night cap – the sixth-time in school history the Eagles have tallied 20 knocks in a game. It's tied for the fifth most hits in a game in NCAA Division II this year.
"What we did today was run a lot," Graves said. "We put runners in motion and the short stop and second baseman were having to move. Balls were just finding holes and that's what has worked when we've had these explosive games offensively."
Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) produced a four-hit, two-RBI day in game two, while Carmen Holt (Lawrenceburg, Ky.), Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Natalie Corbin (Tybee Island, Ga.) all had three-hit days.
Syerra Rogers (Graysville, Tenn.) continued her quality run of form in the circle with her third complete-game shutout of the season. Her last three foes are 0-for-31 against her with runners on bases. While she issued five walks in the night cap, Rogers held the Cavs to an 0-for-9 effort with base runners.
"I don't want to say unhittable, but the kid's pretty daggum good when she doesn't walk people and stays ahead of the count," Graves said. "She throws hard and the ball moves. She's good. But she and Sara both need to cut down on the walks."
GAME ONE: UVA Wise 5, Carson-Newman 2
Carson-Newman snagged an early lead thanks to good situational hitting. Natalie Corbin (Tybee Island, Ga.) got plunked to start the game before stealing second. She moved to third on a Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.) single through the left side and scored when Emily Harris (Cumming, Ga.) hit a deep fly ball to center for a sacrifice fly that gave C-N a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Wise countered immediately in the top of the second. The Cavs loaded the bases before recording an out with a walk, a single to left and another walk. Madison Milne plated the tying run with a line drive sacrifice fly to right. However, the Cavs could do no more damage and left two in scoring position.
Carson-Newman retook the lead with a two-out rally in the third. Harris slammed a single into center before taking second on a throwing error on the play. Hayden Dye (Powell, Tenn.) scored her with her second triple of the season, a sinking liner that bounced over the head of the leftfielder to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead.
UVA Wise countered with a two-out rally in the top of the fifth. After Jenna McDermott reached on an error to lead off the inning, the Eagles got a pair of outs in the outfield. However, with two away and after two wild pitches, Mallory McKnight tied the game with a screeching single to center.
She then scored from three bases away to put the Cavs in front 3-2 on a two-out double down the left field line from Alexis Miles.
The Cavs got some insurance in the top of the seventh when Kaylee Jones tanked a 1-0 pitch over the fence in centerfield to stretch the edge to 5-2.
Carson-Newman got the tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh, loading things up with one out. Sohm and Harris started the inning with singles before Dye was robbed of a base hit with a diving grab in center. Hughes walked to load the bases, but a strikeout and a fly out to right ended the inning.
Sara King took the loss to fall to 13-3. She gave up six hits and five runs, three earned while walking five and striking out 10 – her second double-digit punchout performance of the year. She needed a season-high 150 pitches to do the job.
McKenna Falwell improved to 8-3 with the complete-game win. She scattered seven hits, but stranded 11 Eagles. She walked two, hit three and fanned four.
GAME TWO: Carson-Newman 18, UVA Wise 0 (five innings)
Just like game one, Carson-Newman struck early. Natalie Corbin (Tybee Island, Ga.) led off game two with an infield single to third. A two-base throwing error moved her over to third before Sohm brought her in with a ground out to short. The productive out gave C-N a 1-0 lead after one.
Carson-Newman exploded in the bottom of the second. The Eagles tallied eight runs off 10 hits in the inning; all but one player in the order had a hit in the inning and Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) and Carmen Holt (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) both had two hits in the inning. Carson-Newman scored its eight runs with eight separate RBI singles. Hughes had the only extra-base hit of the inning – a triple to lead it off.
It was more of the same for the Eagles in the home half of the third. RBI doubles from Sohm and Holt sandwiched and RBI single to center from Dye before Rogers clobbered her first career home run – a three-run shot to center, that stretched the Eagles lead to 16-0. Carson-Newman produced seven runs off seven hits in the inning.
Hughes and Rogers set the final margin in the fourth with an RBI single for Hughes and an RBI fielder's choice for Rogers.
Rogers got the complete-game, one-hit shutout to improve to 8-1. She walked five and fanned four.
Sydney Collins took the loss for the Cavs to fall to 6-4 in a 1.1-inning start. She gave up 10 hits, nine runs, eight earned.
Carson-Newman hits the road Saturday to take on Newberry from the Smith Road Complex at 1 p.m.
