TIGERVILLE, S.C. – Carson-Newman (9-3) pounded out a combined 21 hits en route to sweeping North Greenville (10-6) Tuesday evening at Jan McDonald Field.
Carson-Newman won game one 5-2 before hammering the Crusaders 11-1 in a six-inning run-rule win in the nightcap.
The Eagles hit .320 with runners in scoring position and plated a runner on third with less than two out 10 out of 13 times the situation came up in the doubleheader. In comparison, the Crusaders were just 1-for-12 with RISP.
KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) led the offense, driving in six in the twinbill, including a career-high five in game two. She was 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored and a pair of doubles.
"I think our pitchers are making great strides and working hard to do what we ask of them," Carson-Newman head softball coach Michael Graves said. "The offense is still producing at a high level. KaraLynne Levi is having a special year and is just punishing the ball. I am very proud of the composure that we had against a very good team when there were a lot of different things going on. There were a lot of pieces that played a part in these two wins."
Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.) tallied her first three-hit performance in game one before finishing the twinbill 4-for-6 with a pair of runs scored.
Makayla McCarthy fanned a season-high eight in the circle in game-two.
The sweep if the first for Carson-Newman in Tigerville in more than a decade.
GAME ONE: Carson-Newman 5, North Greenville 2
North Greenville drew first blood in the bottom of the second inning. Carmen Silvester and Josie Reed logged infield singles to start the frame before the pair moved into scoring position on a Brooke Wade sacrifice bunt to first.
Jenna Hewes drove in Silvester on a ground ball to second. Keeley Quillen (Gate City, Va.) tried to get the out at the plate, but Silvester came in safe to give NGU a 1-0 advantage. Makayla Brackett extended the lead to 2-0 with a bloop single to center. The Crusaders tried to score two on the play, but Valerie Seay (Cross Plains, Tenn.) threw a bb to home plate to get Hewes at the dish for the second out of the inning. A fielder's choice to third stopped the threat for NGU.
The Eagles would immediately counter in the top of the third. Leah Sohm (Knoxville, Tenn.) started the inning with a bloop single to left center. She strode to second on a fielding error in the outfield, then raced home a batter later on a Shannon Smith (Channahon, Ill.) single back up the middle to draw the Eagles within one.
After a hit batter and a ground out, the Eagles had two in scoring position with one out. Keeley Quillen (Gate City, Va.) leveled things up with another single back up the middle. KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) gave the Eagles the lead with a sacrifice fly to left before Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) added some insurance with another base hit back up the box to give the Eagles a four-run third. C-N collected four runs off of four hits in the inning to take a 4-2 advantage.
The Eagles added an insurance run in the top of the sixth with an Abby Fiessinger (Benton, Ky.) sacrifice fly that set the final margin at 5-2.
Rinus logged the win in the circle to improve to 5-1. She worked around nine hits, holding NGU to a 1-of-6 effort at the plate with runners in scoring position. She only struck out two, but also only walked one.
Callie Richards took the loss for NGU to drop to 2-2 on the year. She allowed 11 hits and five runs, all earned.
GAME TWO: Carson-Newman 11, North Greenville 1 (six innings)
Much like game one, North Greenville struck first. Brooklyn Stone hammed a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left field for a leadoff home run and an early 1-0 lead for the Crusaders. The Crusaders looked to be really off and running after a Claire Gilmore double followed, but Makayla McCarthy (El Cajon, Calif.) settled down with a pair of punchouts and a pop up to short to limit the damage to a run.
McCarthy would counter in the top of the second. With Levi on second after a lead-off double, McCarthy ripped a triple down the right field line to score the senior and knot the game at a run apiece.
The Eagles grabbed the lead in the top of the third. Singles from Smith and Haley Caldwell (Kenova, W.Va.) gave C-N a pair of base runners with one out. Quillen got plunked to load the bases before Levi wore a pitch for the 51st time in her career to drive in the go-ahead run.
Rinus padded the Eagles' lead with a sacrifice fly down the leftfield line to extend the edge to 3-1 before a groundout to the circle ended the inning.
The Eagles got a timely two-bagger in the top of the fifth. The first three batters of the inning all reached. Haley Schultz (Powell, Tenn.) walked, Caldwell singled up the middle and Quillen got plunked. That set the table for Levi who powered in all three runners by doubling a 3-2 pitch down the left field line, stretching the Eagles' edge to 6-1.
Carson-Newman further added to its lead in the sixth. Sohm and Smith got the frame jump-started with singles. Schultz then ripped a single through the left side for her first career hit, and first career RBI. The freshman plated Sohm.
After a strikeout, Quillen got hit to load the bases. For the second time, Levi got plunked with the based juiced to bring in the eighth Eagle run of the day. Rinus then worked a six-pitch walk to extend the Eagles' lead to 9-1. Another bases-loaded walk for Madelyn Gillett (Howell, Mich.) and an RBI-single to center from McCarthy staked C-N to a 10-run lead.
The Crusaders couldn't muster any offense in the bottom of the inning and the contest ended in favor of C-N by way of the run-rule for the sixth time this season.
McCarthy improved to 2-2 in the circle with the complete-game victory. She allowed just four hits on the day, two after the first two batters of the contest. McCarthy fanned eight, a C-N high, against just two walks.
Bailey Pace took the loss for NGU in a 2.1-inning start to fall to 0-1. She gave up four hits and three runs before giving way to Jaelin Griffin. Griffin fired three frames, allowing five hits and eight runs. She walked three and hit another three batters. Morgan Hatchell pitched the final 0.2 innings. She just allowed a hit.
The Crusaders hit five batters on the day, that's the second most in a single game in school history for C-N.
Carson-Newman returns to The Vick Saturday to open SAC play against Mars Hill. First pitch with the Lions is set for noon. Coverage will be available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live.
