VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
VIDEO: Highlights Game One
VIDEO: Emma Frost Interview
VIDEO: Highlights Game Two
VIDEO: Hayden Dye Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (4-8) opened the doors to The Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex with two wins Sunday afternoon against Concord (7-3).
The Eagles pumped the breaks on the Mountain Lions' seven-game win streak with a 6-0 win to open the twinbill before prevailing in a 9-7 see-saw battle in the nightcap.
Emma Frost (Morristown, Tenn.) guided C-N to the game-one win in the circle with her 18th career complete-game shutout. The LMU transfer fanned seven in her first win with C-N.
"It was nice to have Emma back," head softball coach Michael Graves said. "We all knew what she was capable of. We knew she would return to form, and just hoped it would be by conference play. Today was a step in that direction."
Carson-Newman wrapped out 19 hits for the twinbill and scored 15 runs between the two games. More than a quarter of the Eagles' hits were for extra bases. Four different players hit doubles and Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) clobbered her 19th career home run.
"We have preached approach at the plate." Graves said. "We did a better job not swinging at bad pitches. That's showed in all the walks we took today. There were a couple situations where I probably should have bunted, but I wanted to get them used to swinging and making good contact today."
Bailey led C-N at the plate going 4-for-7 for the twin bill with two-RBI days in both games. Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) and Hayden Dye (Powell, Tenn.) both had three hits between the two games and both drove in a pair of runs.
C-N ran its streak of wins in the series with Concord to six consecutive. The Eagles have won their home opener for a 20th time in the last 21 seasons.
GAME ONE: Carson-Newman 6, Concord 0
Carson-Newman wasted little time in grabbing a lead. Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) led off the inning with a walk, stole second and then moved to third on a fly out. Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) took advantage of a 3-1 pitch launching it over the wall in left center for a 2-0 Eagle lead.
C-N dented the scoreboard again in the second. Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange, Conn.) worked a one-out walk and scored a batter later when Brooklyn Lucero (Loma, Colo.) laced a double to the wall in right center to extend the lead to 3-0.
The Eagles took advantage of free passes to extend the lead in the fourth. A lead off hit batter and a walk to Matyasovky gave the Eagles two base runners before Lucero sacrificed the pair into scoring position. Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) delivered a two-run double to the right center gap to extend the lead to 5-0. Martin followed with a single back up the box to extend the lead to 6-0 and score Warder. Carson-Newman would load the bases with one out in the inning, but could do no further damage.
Emma Frost logged her 19th career complete-game shutout to move to 1-0 on the season. She fanned seven and worked around two walks and a hit batter. She only allowed six hits.
Nancy-Jo Roberts fell to 3-2 on the year in a 3.1-inning start. She gave up just three hits, but walked four and hit one while striking out two.
Bailey and Warder both logged multi-RBI days for C-N.
GAME TWO: Carson-Newman 9, Concord 7
Concord lit the lamp first in the night cap. The Mountain Lions loaded the bases in the top of the first with one out thanks to two infield singles and a walk. Kendall Morgan produced the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to center field. However, that would be all Concord would get as the Eagles got a 9-3 put out at first to end the frame and the threat.
Carson-Newman answered quickly in the bottom of the first. Martin and Trinity Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) led off the inning with a walk and an infield single. The pair moved into scoring position on a Hughes sacrifice bunt. Bailey provided the productive knock with a screaming single into center to plate both runners and put C-N on top 2-1.
The Mountain Lions leveled things up in the top of the third. Lacie Lewis reached on a wild pitch on a strikeout before taking second on a groundout. She scored when Morgan drove in her second run of the day with a double off the wall in center. That hit made it a 2-2 ball game after the two-out knock.
The Eagles regained the lead in the bottom of the third thanks to Concord miscues. Macauley Bailey stood on second base after a fielder's choice and a wild pitch. Hayden Dye (Powell, Tenn.) extended the inning by reaching on an error at short. The ball rolled underneath the glove of Lewis at short and into left allowing Bailey to sprint home to give C-N a 3-2 lead after three.
The Mountain Lions retook the lead in the top of the fifth. Concord loaded the bases with one out thanks to a lead off single and two walks. The Mountain Lions tied the game on an infield single to second from Kassidy Garvey and grabbed the lead on a fielder's choice to short from Morgan Gleason for a 4-3 lead.
C-N responded with a big inning of its own in the bottom of the fifth. The first six batters of the inning reached, with five straight base hits to the outfield producing a five-run inning and an 8-4 Eagle lead. Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange, Conn.) scored the go-ahead runs with a two-RBI double smashed back up the box. Dye kept the line moving with an RBI single to right before Wynter Morris (Crozet, Va.) drove in two more with a single to right center to complete the five-run burst.
Concord got a run back in the sixth. The Mountain Lions started the inning with a bunt single and a walk before scoring a run on a Morgan RBI ground out back to the circle.
The Eagles re-extended the lead in the bottom of the sixth with Dye's two-out single to center. That gave the Eagles a 9-5 lead.
Concord set the final margin at 9-7 with two plated in the top of the seventh with a Gleason double coupled with an error, as well as a Stacy sacrifice fly.
NicKolette Ferguson (Erwin, Tenn.) got the win in relief to improve to 2-0. She pitched 1.2 innings while allowing four hits, three runs – all earned – against three walks and a strikeout.
Kayleigh Bowers logged her first career save. She pitched the final 2.0 innings. Bowers gave up two hits and two runs, only one of which was earned.
Madison Hollis was shackled with her first loss of the season. She pitched the first 4.0 innings, surrendering nine hits and seven runs, six of which were earned. She entered the game with a 9:1 strikeout to walk ratio and only two bases on balls allowed all year. Hollis matched that with two walks and two Ks.
Bailey, Matyasovsky and Dye all produced multi-RBI efforts for C-N in the nightcap.
Carson-Newman returns home Tuesday to take on Kentucky State at 1 p.m. Coverage is available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live. A video stream can be found through FloSports at cneagles.com/FloSB.
