VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
VIDEO: Macauley Bailey Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- On a chilly, overcast day Carson-Newman softball swept its home opening doubleader over Concord, 7-1 in game one and 4-1 in game two.
“We got two wins and that is the important thing,” Carson-Newman softball coach Michael Graves said. “I told the team, did I think we were clicking on all cylinders, certainly not. But we did do some good things. Most importantly, our pitchers did not walk anybody all day. Hats off to Sarah for working with the pitchers. Offensively, we talk about getting more walks than we get strikeouts and I think we did that good enough today as well.”
Freshman Rylee Gattis got the start in the circle and recorded a 1-2-3 first inning. C-N loaded the bases thanks to a walk, hit by pitch and a single. Sophomore Hayden Dye drew a one out walk to score the game’s first run. Two batters later, Gattis was also walked with the bases loaded to put C-N ahead 2-0 after the first inning.
Concord struck for the first and only time in the next half inning. Kassidy Garvey doubled to left field to bring the Mountain lions within a run.
Brooke Matyasovsky opened the scoring in the bottom of the 3rd with a 2-run home run to extend C-N’s lead to 4-1.
The Eagles would add one more run later in the inning thanks to a SieAnna Cameron walk with the bases loaded to make the score 5-1 Eagles.
Neither team scored in the fourth and fifth innings. C-N added two insurance runs in the sixth inning. Macey Hughes doubled to right center to score pinch runner Mari Robbins to put the Eagles up 6-1. Two batters later, Matyasovsky drove in her third run of the game, scoring Hughes on a single to center field to give the Eagles a 7-1 cushion.
Gattis finished off the Mountain Lions with a 1-2-3 seventh inning to record a complete game. The freshman was fabulous in her debut, allowing five hits and just one unearned run, to go along with three strikeouts.
Macauley Bailey led C-N going for 3 for 4 at the plate, scoring one run. Four other Eagles recorded hits in game one.
C-N wasted no time offensively in game two. Bailey picked up where she left from game one, in the designated player stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and roped a ball down the third base line for a three-run double to open the scoring in the 1st.
Mary Vandergriff added one more run in the inning with a two out single to center field to score Bailey and extend the Eagles lead to 4-0 after the first inning.
Concord responded in the top of the 3rd, as Morgan Cline doubled down the right field line to score Lacie Lewis and cut the C-N lead to 4-1.
Neither team scored in the final four innings, as both starting pitchers found their groove. Freshman Riley Sikes went the distance in her first career start. Sikes allowed eight hits, just one earned run and struck out eight Mountain Lion hitters.
Seven different Eagles recorded at least one hit in the game two victory.
C-N returns to action on Saturday at 1:00pm at the Georgia College tournament facing off against Georgia College.
