ANDERSON, S.C. – Anderson (34-15) pounded out 22 hits and plated 16 runs to run-rule Carson-Newman (32-18) and eliminate the Eagles from the SAC Softball Tournament Championship Sunday afternoon at the AU Softball Complex.
The Trojans needed to win twice on the day to advance to the championship series. AU pulled it off, winning game one 4-1 before rolling to the game two win.
"We knew at the beginning we were playing to make this a one-game only day," Carson-Newman head softball coach Michael Graves said. "Emma gave us all she could this weekend and put us in a position to succeed. We had a few opportunities early, including a golden one to seize the momentum early in the first inning. However, again like several other times this weekend, we just couldn't get a timely hit. I don't think we played bad all weekend, we just didn't play like we normally do. Even that last game that got out of hand, we hit some shots that just went in a glove somewhere."
The 16 runs are the second-most Carson-Newman has allowed in school history, while the 22 hits are the most C-N has ever given up.
Anderson jumped on Carson-Newman early. Jenna Davis started the inning with a base hit through the left side. Shelby Bandt gave the Trojans a pair of baserunners with an infield single to short.
The hit parade continued with a Hannah Whitaker RBI single through the right side to give the Trojans the 1-0 lead. SAC Freshman of the Year Paige Vickery kept the line moving with a two-run double to center.
A hit batter and a wild pitch later, AU had two runners in scoring position for Maggie Nauck. She plated two as well with a single to center. A Lulu Luedtke RBI single to short capped the scoring in the inning and gave Anderson a 6-0 lead after one.
"They got the momentum early and everything they touched seemed to drop somewhere.
Graves said. "That's the way it goes sometimes…it's not fun being on this end but if you play this game long enough it happens to the best of us."
The Trojans played add on in the bottom of the third. Lauren Brokovec led off the inning with a walk before Luedtke gave the Trojans runners on a the corners with a single to right. Davis went that direction as well to drive in a run with a single to give AU a 7-0 lead. The Cobras loaded the bases with a Maddie Carpenter single through the left side. Bandt took advantage with an RBI single through the left side to stretch the score out to run-rule territory, 8-0.
AU scored more in the fourth. The Trojans loaded the bases without an out for Davis, who bounced a single off the third base bag, caroming into right field. Two runs raced in to extends AU's lead to double digits, 10-0. Carpenter followed with a single to right to extend the lead to 12-0. Bandt drove in a fifth run with a base hit to left to stretch the lead to 13-0. A three-run moonshot by Paige Vickery gave the Trojans eight runs in the inning without an out recorded and a 16-0 lead that would hold as the final margin in five innings.
Morgen Baker-Celis logged the three-hit shutout in the circle against her former team. She struck out three.
Lexi Lacy (Anahem Hills, Calif.) started and took the loss for C-N to fall to 1-2. She pitched 0.1 innings and faced five batters – allowing four hits and four runs with a strikeout.
"I thoroughly enjoyed this group of young ladies," Graves said. "Our university has great kids on this team and they are going to be very successful in life. I can definitely say that they represented Carson-Newman University the way it should be done. I also would like to say thank you to all of our families that supported us and spent all those hours on the road with us. It means a lot to them and us coaches to know we have such great support."
For offseason news and information on the Carson-Newman softball program, check cneagles.com and follow @CNSball on Twitter.
