Lady Eagles Split With Georgia College

March 18, 2009

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - The Carson-Newman softball team split a doubleheader with Georgia College Wednesday afternoon at the Peeler Complex. The Lady Eagles fell in the first contest 2-0 before rebounding to win game two 4-3.

In game one, Georgia College (18-12) rallied behind the arm of starting pitcher Mandy Chandler (Covington, Ga.) (16-6), as she tossed a one-hit shutout and had 11 strikeouts. The shutout was Chandler's fifth of the year.

The Bobcats manufactured one run each in the second and third innings, and Chandler took care of the rest by shutting down the Lady Eagles' (16-8) lineup. Chandler had a no-hitter through 5 1/3 innings before C-N's Brianne Coon (Orlando, Fla.) broke it up with a single.

C-N starting hurler Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.) (11-6) was tagged with the loss after giving up two runs on four hits in six innings of work.

In the second contest, the Bobcats grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second after Jessica Solomon (Douglasville, Ga.) drove in a run with a single and later scored on a C-N error.

The Lady Eagles scored a run in the third and fourth innings to tie the game at 2-2, but Georgia College pushed across a run in the home half of the fourth inning to regain the lead at 3-2.

However, C-N took the lead for good by scoring a pair of runs in the top of the fifth. Whitney Durham (Rossville, Ga.) grounded out to drive in a run and Jessie Howard (Knoxville, Tenn.) scored the winning run on an error.

C-N starting pitcher Brittany Linton (Marietta, Ga.) (4-1) earned the win after surrendering three runs (one earned) on five hits in seven innings on the mound.

Georgia College's Haley Burnett (Columbus, Ga.) (1-4) picked up the loss. Burnett gave up four runs (two earned) on three hits in four innings of work. Chandler tossed the final three innings in relief, no-hitting the Lady Eagles with seven more strikeouts.

Chandler's 18 strikeouts on the day gave her 1,041 in her career, moving her past Emporia State University's Melissa Stevens for 10th place in NCAA Division II history.

The Lady Eagles return to action on Saturday as they open South Atlantic Conference play in a doubleheader against Catawba at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.