VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
VIDEO: Game One Highlights
VIDEO: Game Two Highlights
VIDEO: Macey Hughes Interview
VIDEO: Lexi Lacy Interview
VIDEO: Brooklyn Lucero Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (28-16) took a moment to click into gear offensively in a sweep of Milligan (12-21), but when it did, it was something to behold.
C-N plated two runs through the first five innings of its doubleheader with the Buffaloes, Tuesday at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex. However, over the final seven innings of the twinbill, the Eagles scored 19 runs en route to a 6-0 game-one shutout and a 15-7, six-inning, run-rule win in the nightcap.
"We're still trying to figure out how to start fast," head softball coach Michael Graves said. "More times than not, that will catch up to us. We have to start faster offensively and get going quicker, or it will cost us down the stretch run."
Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) continued her torrid run at the plate. She was 7-for-9 at the dish and drove in four runs between the two games. The highlight was her performance in the nightcap. Hughes joined Leah Sohm (v. Shorter in 2022), Suzi Campbell (v. Wingate in 1993), Kim Bingham (v. Maryville in 1992) and Brandi Hardin (v. Cumberland in 1991) as the only Eagles to go 5-for-5 at the plate in a game. Hughes hit two doubles and three singles in the night cap.
"Macey is hitting beach balls," Graves said. "When she makes contact, she squares it up and hits it hard. Feels like any time she makes contact, it's going to be a double."
Hughes moved within an RBI of Sara Kelley for the third most in school history. Hughes has 166 for her career, Kelley sits on 167 (2011-14).
Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) became the fourth player in program history with 30 career home runs. Her three-run moon shot was part of a 4-for-5 day at the plate in game two. She drove in six runs to maintain her league atop the league leaderboards for the season with 58.
Brooklyn Lucero (Loma, Colo.) tallied her second career multi-homer game in the nightcap.
GAME ONE: Carson-Newman 6, Milligan 0
Carson-Newman struck first with the long ball in the bottom of the second. Wynter Morris (Crozet, Va.) smashed a one-out, 2-0 pitch on a line over the 220 sign in center to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. The homer was the first of Morris' career.
C-N extended the lead in the third. Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) ripped a sinking liner to left for a one-out single. After a walk to Hayden Dye (Powell, Tenn.), Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) golfed a high fly ball to left that stayed in the park, but allowed both runners to tag and move to third and second, respectively. Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange, Con..) worked a base on balls to load the bases. Then, Brooklyn Lucero (Loma, Colo.) battled through a six-pitch at bat to work first on balls and score a run with her 29th RBI of the season. The bases-loaded walk gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
The Eagles padded the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Lucero led off the inning with a double to left, a pinch-running Bailee Worley (Black Mountain, N.C.) scored a batter later when Morris drove her in with a single to right center. After a walk to Syerra Rogers (Graysville, Tenn.), Milligan recorded outs on a pair of fly ball outs to center. The Eagles then plated three runs with two outs. Hughes scored one with a single through the left side before Dye finished the scoring with a two-run double down the leftfield line. That hit set the final margin at 6-0.
Emma Frost (Morristown, Tenn.) got the win in the circle, improving to 14-3. She pitched the first four innings in one-hit shutout fashion. She was perfect through the first nine batters of the game and struck out three. Lexi Lacy (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) worked a three-inning save to close out the game, her first save of the season. She too only allowed one hit.
Bree Presnell took the loss for Milligan. She pitched 6.0 innings, allowing seven hits and six runs, all earned. Presnell walked five and fanned four in falling to 6-7.
GAME TWO: Carson-Newman 15, Milligan 7 (six innings)
Carson-Newman wasted zero time in grabbing the lead in the night cap. Hughes and Dye started the inning with singles before Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) launched her 15th home run of the season to center for a 3-0 lead. After a fly out to the warning track in right, Lucero clobbered her fourth dinger of the year, a solo shot to left center to make it 4-0.
The Eagles loaded the bases with one out thanks to a Morris single and two walks. Trinity Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) worked a third straight base on balls to bring in the fifth run of the inning.
Hughes and Dye rounded out the scoring with a two-RBI double to left and a sacrifice fly to put the Eagles in front 8-0.
Milligan answered in the top of the second. The Buffs got two base runners without a hit. Jaylyn Halliburton led off the inning reaching on a strikeout wild pitch, before Alexis Brown got on base on a muffed throw at first. After a groundout to first, Morgan Lawson clobbered an 0-2 pitch to left center for her third home run of the season. That cut the deficit to 8-3. A walk and a Maggie Johnson double later, and the Buffs had carved the deficit in half, 8-4. A Laney Loyd RBI single completed the scoring for the Buffs.
C-N responded in the bottom of second. Matyasovsky led off the inning with a seeing-eye single through the left side. A batter later, Lucero hung an 0-1 pitch down the left field line for her second home run in as many plate appearances. The two-run shot gave the Eagles a 10-5 lead.
C-N continued to play add on in the third. Brooks tripled to left center to lead off the inning and scored when Hughes bounced a 1-1 pitch through the left side. After a line out and a stolen base, Bailey plated Hughes with a single through the left side as well. C-N loaded the bases with back-to-back two out singles from Lucero and Morris before Alaina Smith (Lebanon, Tenn.) completed the scoring with a bases-loaded infield-single to second to give C-N a 13-5 lead.
Milligan countered in the top of the fourth. The Buffs started the inning with four straight singles. With the bases loaded, a pinch-hitting Marissa Casstevens hit a blooper between the circle and the mound. Lacy laid out, but could only tip the ball, allowing Sadie Shound to score.
A Loyd sacrifice fly to center made it a 13-7 game.
The Eagles responded with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Hughes roped her fourth hit of the day, a one-out double down the left field line, to set the Eagles up. Bailey took advantage with her fifth RBI of the day on a double in the exact same spot as Hughes. The Eagles led by a touchdown after Bailey's two-base knock, 14-7.
The Eagles ended things in walk-off, run-rule fashion in the bottom of the sixth. Warder reached on an error to start the inning before Hughes moved her to second with a single through the left side. A Dye flyout put Warder on third. She scored with two out when Bailey drove her in with a single up the middle.
Lacy got the credit for the win She pitched 1.1 innings, allowing five hits and two runs with a pair of strikeouts.
Shockingly for a run-rule game, Hailey Leslie got credited for a three-inning save for her first career save. She pitched 3.0 innings of two-hit shutout ball.
Sadie Shound took the loss for Milligan to fall to 2-4. She pitched 5.0 innings, allowing 15 hits and 10 runs, all but one of which were earned.
Carson-Newman celebrates its senior day Saturday against Lenoir-Rhyne at 1 p.m. Coverage of the games will be available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live. A video stream can be found with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/FloSB.
