HARROGATE, Tenn. – Morgen Baker-Celis (Kentfield, Calif.) dealt a three-hit shutout while striking out seven and Carson-Newman (34-15) got a pair of timely runs from Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.) to power past Wingate (35-17) 2-0 Friday evening at Dorothy Neely Field.
Sohm poked her first career pitch out of the park in the top of the first in her 474th career at-bat to get C-N all the runs it would need.
Meanwhile, Baker-Celi twirled her third career complete-game shutout and her first of her senior season.
"Other than leaving some runners in scoring position throughout the game I am extremely excited about the type of game we played on both sides of the ball," Carson-Newman head softball coach Michael Graves said. "I can't say enough about Morgen and the job she has done against some phenomenal competition the last week and a half of the season. Everyone seems to be contributing to the effort in some way. That's exactly what it takes at this point of the year and what we have to do to keep winning."
NO. WAY.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) April 29, 2022
For the first time ever. Leah Sohm has hit a ball out of the park.
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Baker-Celis didn't walk a batter and struck out seven. She faced the minimum in four innings and Wingate never had a runner get into scoring position.
Carson-Newman cracked the scoreboard first thanks to Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.). The senior parked her first career home out of the park for a one-out solo blast in the top of the first. Sohm had previously hit two inside-the-park home runs in her career, but never had had one leave the field.
Sohm padded the Eagles edge in the fifth. Sohm belted a one-out double to the wall in right center. She then stole third and raced home on a throwing error by the catch to give C-N a 2-0 lead that would hold as the final margin.
Sohm finished a triple shy of the cycle. She went 3-for-4, scored both runs and drove in the only RBI on the day for C-N.
Emily Harris (Cumming, Ga.) also had a multi-hit day, her 30th of the year. She went 2-for-4. With the two knocks, Harris becomes the fifth player in school history with 80 hits in a season.
It also means Harris sits on 329 hits for her career, tied with Meredith Daunhauer of Kentucky Wesleyan (2016-19) for the 13th most in NCAA Division II history.
Baker-Celis improved to 6-1 in the circle with the win.
Sydney Kale took the loss for Wingate in a 4.1-inning start to fall to 10-11. She surrendered six hits. Raechel Cutcher finished out the game with 2.2 innings of two-hit shutout ball.
Carson-Newman was just 1-for-10 at the plate with runners on base.
The Eagles square off with second-seeded and 23rd-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne in the semifinals Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
