VIDEO: Vickee Hollifield Interview
The Bears took game 1-0 with an unearned run on a bases-loaded walk before rallying in the nightcap for a 4-3 triumph. The wins clinched Lenoir-Rhyne its 10th South Atlantic Conference title outright.
"Spoiled is the word," head softball coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "Defensively I thought we played well save for three exceptions where I thought we needed to get the lead out at second, and that came back to score runs for them.
"L-R is a great hitting ball club, and Alli Webster gave us every opportunity to win a ball game today. But it's the same broken record for us. We fall behind in the count on strikes looking. Until we learn to hit early in the count, I don't see this getting any better."
The Eagles wrap up the regular season in fourth place in the league standings. Carson-Newman will play Lincoln Memorial in the first round of the SAC tournament. The Railsplitters won a tiebreak with Queens by virtue of their split with the Eagles earlier in the season.
The top of the Bears order did the most damage for L-R. Erin Boone and Christina Walker went a combined 8-for-14 at the plate. Each player had a triple. No other Bear had more than a hit in the doubleheader.
Cheyenne Boles (Knoxville, Tenn.) led Carson-Newman offensively with a 3-for-6 effort. Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) went 2-for-5.
Game one: Lenoir-Rhyne 1, Carson-Newman 0
The No. 19 Bears struck first in the first. An Erin Boone single started the inning. Then Christina Walker reached on an error. A sacrifice moved the pair into scoring position before back-to-back bases on balls brought a run across. Allison Webster (Charlestown, Ind.) struck out Ashley Oliver to end the inning and the threat.
That unearned run would be all Lenoir-Rhyne needed to get the win. The Bears didn't collect another hit until Boone nipped a single down the right field line in the seventh.
Carson-Newman had a smattering of opportunities, but never could put back-to-back hits together.
The Eagles' best offensive chance came in the third when Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) hit a one-out double to the wall in left center. However, a ground out and strikeout ended the inning.
Toppel gave the Eagles another shot in the sixth with a leadoff single through the left side. However, a pop up on a failed sacrifice and a fly outs to left and right center ended the Eagles threat.
Carson-Newman had the tying run on in the seventh with a one-out walk to Katie Pritchett (Ringgold, Ga.). However, a fielder's choice and a pop up to the circle ended the game.
Maryann Hoskins got the win for Lenoir-Rhyne to move to 16-6 on the year. She struck out seven against two walks in the three-hit shutout.
Webster was the hard-luck loser. The one unearned run was the difference as Webster walked four and struck out six with two hits allowed. She fell to 19-10 on the year.
Toppel and Boone each produced multi-hit days for their respective sides. Boles had the only other hit for the Eagles.
Game two: Lenoir-Rhyne 4, Carson-Newman 3
Both teams threatened in the first inning. The Bears loaded the bases with two out, but a ground out ended the inning.
The Eagles, meanwhile, got runners on the corners with one out after Toppel was hit by a pitch and Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) blooped a single to center field. However, back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat for the Eagles.
Lenoir-Rhyne would draw first blood in game two. A double from Boone was followed by a triple from Walker to right center field to score Boone easily and give L-R a 1-0 advantage in the third.
Another run came in on a Jordin Phillips sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Walker.
Carson-Newman finally responded in the fifth. The Eagles got back-to-back base hits to start the inning from Cheyenne Boles (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Donna Ryan (Orlando, Fla.). After a strike out, Toppel got popped by pitch to load the bases. Another strike out put out number two on the board as Siebert came up.
The senior delivered on the first pitch of the at bat with a single through the right side that scored two runs to tie the game.
Dean kept the inning rolling with a base hit to center to score Toppel and give C-N the lead 3-2.
That lead would be short-lived. The Bears' Landreth dipped a bloop single to left center to plate a pinch-running Cassie Healy from two bases away and make it 3-3 in the top of the 6th.
L-R grabbed the lead in the top of the seventh. A Boone triple started off the seventh. She scored a batter later on a Walker base hit to center.
Carson-Newman couldn't mount any attack in the seventh, the Eagles were retired in order.
Webster took the loss for the Eagles, falling to 19-11 on the year.
Emily Kenley got the win for L-R to move to 9-2. Kenley walked one with seven strikeouts in the complete-game win.
