VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No. 12 Wingate (33-6, 11-1 South Atlantic Conference) scored 12 times with two outs to power itself to two wins over Carson-Newman (20-14, 10-4 SAC) Friday afternoon at The Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
Wingate won game one 10-2 in seven innings before tallying a 7-2 win in the night cap. The Bulldogs plated 14 of their 17 runs in the doubleheader in the final three innings of both games.
The sweep is Wingate's first in Jefferson City since 2000.
"Didn't think we played well today," head softball coach Michael Graves said. "We weren't very good in the box and weren't very disciplined. Wingate's a really good team, and you have to play perfectly to beat them, and we didn't do that today. We keep making the same mistakes, and that's on me as a coach to figure out how to fix."
GAME ONE: #12 Wingate 10, Carson-Newman 2
Wingate struck first in the top of the first. Sydney Kale worked a one out walk before Hannah Stevens tanked a 2-2 pitch off a low change up down the left field for her eighth home run of the season and a 2-0 lead.
The Bulldogs extended their lead via the long ball again in the fourth. Raelynn Kramer clobbered a 2-2 pitch on a line to left center field to extend the lead to 3-0 off the two-out solo blast. It was Kramer's third homer of the season.
Wingate played add on with three straight two-out hits in the top of the fifth. Savannah Brooks and Hannah Stevens bounced singles through the left side to set the table for a pinch-hitting Lily Honeycutt. She roped a double to center to score two before a pinch-hitting Kaylee Furr drove in the third run of the inning with a single to center to make it 6-0.
Carson-Newman dented the scoreboard in the sixth after Bulldog pitching had retired 13 consecutive. Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) led off the inning getting plunked, then stole second and third. She scored on a Hayden Dye (Powell, Tenn.) sacrifice fly to right. Macauley Bailey kept the line moving with a bloop single to center before Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange, Conn.) bounced an RBI single through the right side to make it a 6-2 game.
The Bulldogs stretched the lead to eight runs in the top of the seventh. Heaven Maness plated one with an RBI double down the right field line before Katy Kahlich cleared the bases with a two-run single through the left side that was misplayed in left and allowed Kahlich to come around to score for a 10-2 lead that would settle as the final margin.
Rachael Cutcher logged the final for Wingate to improve to 11-1. She pitched five innings of one-hit, shutout ball and stuck out five. Only one player reached base on Cutcher.
Kayleigh Bowers (Stephenville, Texas) took the loss in a 4.2-inning start – a career long for innings pitched. She gave up seven hits and six runs, all earned. All six runs that scored off her came with two out. She fanned five, a new career high.
GAME TWO: No. 12 Wingate 7, Carson-Newman 2
Wingate broke open the scoring in the fifth inning. The teams were a combined 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position when Wingate grabbed the lead. The Bulldogs had two on with two out thanks to singles from Kramer and Kale. Savanna Brooks lofted an 0-1 pitch down the left field line and out of the park for a three-run moon shot that gave the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.
The Eagles answered with two in the bottom of the sixth. Three straight two-out hits allowed the Eagles to plate the pair. Brooke Matysovsky (Orange, Conn.) started the rally with a single back up the middle. After a passed ball, Mary Vandergriff (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) doubled down the left field line to score Matyasovsky. Brooklyn Lucero (Loma, Colo.) roped a single through the right side to plate Vandergriff and pull the Eagles within a run, 3-2.
Wingate answered immediately with a leadoff home run to start the seventh to left from Kramer for her second blast of the doubleheader. The moon shot gave the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead. Brooks added on a two-out single with a runner at second to extend the lead back to three runs. After a Hannah Stevens single through the left side, Maness stretched the lead to five runs, 7-2 with a base hit to right center.
Hali Scott logged the win in the circle to improve to 12-4. She dealt a four-inning start in five-hit, shutout fashion. She fanned four and walked one. Cutcher logged a three-inning save. She gave up three hits and two runs in her three innings of relief.
Emma Frost (Morristown, Tenn.) took the loss in the circle to fall to 9-3. She went 6.0 innings, allowing seven hits and four runs, all earned.
Carson-Newman breaks for Easter before returning back to The Vick Thursday at 1 p.m. against Anderson. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. The doubleheader was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but thunderstorms in the forecast have pushed it back 48 hours. The twinbill will be broadcast on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live. A video stream is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/FloSB.
