ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Carson-Newman softball team picked up a pair of wins on Monday night with a sweep of Eckerd College. The Lady Eagles claimed a 6-3 victory in game one and shut out the Tritons, 6-0, in the second game at Turley Athletic Facility.
With the sweep, C-N improves to 23-10-1 on the season. Eckerd drops to 9-21 overall.
In the first game, the Lady Eagles broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth, as Sara Kelley (Birchwood, Tenn.) drove in Kim Whaley (Maryville, Tenn.) on a fielder's choice for what proved to be the game winning run. C-N added two more runs in the sixth to seal the 6-3 win.
C-N tallied 12 hits for the game, including a 3-for-4 effort from Whaley. Amber Hewitt (Ringgold, Ga.), Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.) and Caitlyn Lance (East Ridge, Tenn.) added two hits apiece.
Eckerd managed just five hits. Kelly Coston led the way with two hits.
Shealy worked all seven innings to earn the win for the Lady Eagles in the circle. The junior right-hander allowed three runs on five hits and fanned four batters.
Eckerd starting hurler Whitney Bernier (1-8) was tagged with the loss after giving up three earned runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings of work.
The Lady Eagles struck first in the top of the second inning, as Lance and Kelley each delivered a RBI single to give C-N a 2-0 lead.
C-N added a run in the fourth to build a 3-0 lead, but the Tritons battled back to tie the game with three runs in the home half of the inning, including a two-run double by Kristen Schurr.
However, the Lady Eagles regained the lead for good in the fifth. Whaley led off the inning with a single up the middle and later scored when Kelley reached on a fielder's choice for the winning run.
In the second contest, Shealy (20-8) allowed just seven hits as she tossed a complete-game shutout to lead C-N to a 6-0 victory.
The Lady Eagles collected nine hits in the game. Whaley led the way with two base knocks, including a triple, while Lance added two doubles. Whitney Kee (Knoxville, Tenn.) also had two hits in the win.
Eckerd starting pitcher Kaitlyn Dougherty (4-6) picked up the loss after surrendering six runs and nine hits in seven innings in the circle.
The Lady Eagles took control of the game early with a four-run outburst highlighted by a RBI triple by Whaley and a run-scoring double by Shealy.
C-N put the game out of reach with a run each in the fifth and six innings. Kee delivered a RBI double in the fifth, and Lance scored when Hewitt reached base on a fielder's choice to give C-N a 6-0 lead.
The Lady Eagles return to action on Saturday at Anderson. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
