VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Macauley Bailey Interview
VIDEO: Riley Sikes Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (17-3, 4-0 South Atlantic Conference) pounded out 21 hits and took both games of a doubleheader from Coker (12-8, 0-2 SAC) Wednesday afternoon at The Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
Carson-Newman rallied with a two-run home run in game one for a 5-4 win before tallying a 6-3 win in the night cap.
"I was impressed with our hitting," head softball coach Michael Graves said. "We hit it on the nose all day long. Hats off to their centerfielder, Ariana Fair robbed us of at least three extra base hits, if not home runs. We hit it hard all day long."
Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) walloped five hits in six at-bats, including home runs in back-to-back plate appearances finishing game one and starting game two. It broke her free of an 0-of-15 slump at the plate.
"She was wanting to set up the net in the parking lot when she was struggling in Georgia," Graves said. "It wasn't like she was hitting the ball bad in Georgia, she was just unlucky. She just smashed pitches today."
Meanwhile, starting pitchers Rylee Gattis (Southside, Ala.) and Riley Sikes (Powell, Tenn.) combined to allow zero free passes (walks or hit batters). Furthermore, the duo combined to keep Coker to four hits with runners in scoring position.
"Our pitchers were good, but we still missed a couple times," Graves said. "The nice thing is that our pitchers recognized it and are taking responsibility for it when it does happen. The ceiling is so high for those two. The fact that they don't walk people is a testament to how good they can be."
GAME ONE: Carson-Newman 5, Coker 4
Coker struck first. The Cobras Cameron Jackson laced a one-out triple down the right field line, and then scored easily when Chloe Pelham sneaked a seeing-eye single through the left side of the infield. However, Rylee Gattis (Southside, Ala.) struck out the final two batters of the inning to quench the threat and hold Coker to a 1-0 lead.
Carson-Newman grabbed the lead in the bottom of the second. Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) led off the inning with a rip to left. She stole second then scored when Mary Vandergriff (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) tied the game with a bloop single down the right field line. After a ground out, Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) bounced a single to left center. She plated Vandergriff to Carson-Newman a 2-1 lead. Then SieAnna Cameron (Alcoa, Tenn.) ripped a ball through the right side to plate Martin and push the advantage to 3-1.
Coker countered with two-out hitting in the third. Ariana Fair bunted herself aboard to lead off the inning. After consecutive flyout, she stole second, then raced home on a Pelham bloop single to left that pulled Coker within a run 3-2.
The Cobras took the lead back in the top of the fifth. Coker tallied five hits in the frame, but only scored two runs as the Cobras ran themselves out of the inning. Two of the three outs Coker made came on a caught stealing at third and a runner leaving early on a foul out from third. However, the Cobras grabbed the lead things to RBI singles from Brooklyn Stueness and Jackson.
The Eagles responded in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead. After a Cameron single through the right side, Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) cranked a 1-0 pitch over the wall to put Carson-Newman up 5-4 with her eighth home run of the season.
Gattis sat down the final eight Cobras in order to lock up the win. She improved to 6-2. She scattered 10 hits and gave up four runs, all earned. She struck out two, but didn't issue a free pass.
Jenae Fedewa took the loss to drop to 4-4. She also gave up 10 hits and all five runs she allowed were earned.
Bailey and Cameron both logged multi-hit efforts in the win
GAME TWO: Carson-Newman 6, Coker 3
Carson-Newman hit the launching pad to start game two. Bailey tanked a 1-1 change up just beyond the wall in left. The two-out blast put C-N in front 1-0 in the bottom of the first.
Things see-sawed back in Coker's favor with a two-out rally in the third. The Cobras were hitless through their first seven trips to the plate, but Kelsi Scott snapped that string with a single to left center. A two-out rip through the left side from Brooklynne Stueness gave the Cobras two base runners, which Jackson took advantage of, lacing a two-out double to the left center gap to score both runners and give Coker a 2-1 lead.
C-N used a two-out rally of its own to retake the lead in the bottom of the third. Hughes and Bailey both singled to lead off the inning. After a line out, Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) drove in the tying run with a ground out to short. Hayden Dye (Knoxville, Tenn.) drilled a double down the left field line to score a pinch-running Brooke Taylor (Knoxville, Tenn.) and give C-N a 3-2 lead.
The Eagles extended it in the fourth. Carmen Holt (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) singled to left center to lead off the inning, and then crazily took third with aggressive base running on an Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) sacrifice bunt. She scored the next play when Cameron reached on a fielder's choice and the Cobra's catcher Carter Freeman bobbled a ball trying to apply the tag to Holt.
Carson-Newman loaded the bases with singles for Hughes and Bailey. Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange, Conn.) then drove two in with a double ripped to left center to give the Eagles a 6-2 cushion.
The Cobras got a run back in the top of the sixth. Delaney Eaves skied a one-out double to left center, then took third on a wild pitch. She scored on a sacrifice fly when Cameron robbed Caitlyn Wray of a home run in centerfield.
Coker did get the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but a fly out and a diving grab by Martin in center closed the game.
Riley Sikes (Powell, Tenn.) logged her second career complete-game to improve to 4-1. She scattered nine hits and gave up three runs. She struck out two and didn't walk anyone.
Tibby Hessian took the loss for the Cobras to fall to 3-3. She gave up 11 hits and six runs, all earned. Coker's bullpen didn't allow a hit in 2.2 innings of relief work.
Carson-Newman has postponed its Friday doubleheader with Lees-McRae due to the threat of storms. A makeup is as yet to be determined. C-N will take the field Tuesday against Limestone at 1 p.m. Coverage is available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live. A video stream is available through FloSports.
