WINGATE, N.C. — Sophomore catcher Bri Shoemake (Ooltewah, Tenn.) went 8-for-8 at the plate to help lead the Carson-Newman softball team to a split with Wingate University on Sunday afternoon at the Wingate Softball Complex in the final regular season games for both squads.
Shoemake went 4-for-4 in each game and had two RBIs, as the Lady Eagles pounded out 23 hits in the doubleheader.
With the split, C-N wraps up regular-season play at 36-13-1 overall and 14-4 in the South Atlantic Conference to finish second in the standings. Wingate is now 30-13 on the season and 11-7 in SAC play.
In the first game, the Lady Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning behind a RBI single by Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.) and a two-run single by Kim Whaley (Maryville, Tenn.), but Wingate scored one run in the third and two runs each in the fourth and sixth innings to claim a 5-3 victory.
The Bulldogs began to chip away in the third, as Brittany Loudermilt (Stony Point, N.C.) delivered a RBI single to trim C-N's lead to 3-1.
Wingate then pushed across two more runs in the fourth on back-to-back RBI doubles by Brittany Barrineau (Monroe, N.C.) and Maureen Sandidge (Sarasota, Fla.) to knot the game at 3-3.
Sandidge and Loudermilt each provided a run-scoring single in the sixth to give Wingate the lead for good at 5-3.
The Lady Eagles tallied 12 hits in the loss, including four from Shoemake. Whaley, senior Leah Price (Spring City, Tenn.) and senior Amber Hewitt (Ringgold, Ga.) contributed two hits apiece.
Wingate collected 11 hits. Barrineau, Sandidge, Loutermilt and Jordyn Setzer (Taylorsville, N.C.) produced two hits each to lead the way.
Wingate starting pitcher Allison Smith (Daleville, Va.) went the distance to earn the win. Smith (20-5) gave up three runs and 12 hits and had four strikeouts in seven innings of work.
Shealy took the loss as she surrendered five runs and 11 hits and walked five in six innings in the circle. She also had two strikeouts.
In game two, Shoemake went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored to lead the Lady Eagles to an 8-2 win.
C-N produced 11 hits, as Price had two hits and two RBIs and Whaley added two hits. Shealy also delivered a solo home run for the Lady Eagles.
The Bulldogs managed eight hits in the loss. Barrineau and Sandidge collected two hits apiece to lead the way.
Shealy (33-11) also picked up the win in the circle after giving up one earned run and eight hits in seven innings of work.
Wingate starting hurler Brittany Blankenship (Midlothian, Va.) was tagged with the loss to fall to 4-4 on the season. She allowed four runs on four hits and had two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings of work.
The Lady Eagles erupted for four runs in the second inning to take control of the game early. Shealy led off the frame with a solo blast to left field, while Price and Shoemake each had a run-scoring single in the inning to help C-N build a 4-0 lead.
Another RBI single by Price in the fourth pushed C-N's lead to 5-0, but Wingate answered with a run in the home half of the inning on a run-scoring single by Sandidge.
However, the Lady Eagles put the game away in the sixth with a three-run outburst, including RBI singles by Whitney Kee (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Shoemake, to push their lead to 8-1.
The Lady Eagles will return to action on Wednesday as they host the 2011 Food Lion SAC Tournament at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex. Pairings for the tournament will be released Sunday evening.
