VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Kennady Warder Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - No. 24 Carson-Newman (24-6, 9-3 South Atlantic Conference) pounded out 26 hits and scored 26 runs, but could only muster one win over Newberry (18-13, 6-6 SAC) in a doubleheader on a blustery Saturday at The Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
Carson-Newman won game one 14-5 win walk-off, run-rule fashion after a nine-run bottom of the fifth, then nearly pulled off a rally for the ages in the night cap. Carson-Newman came back from down nine runs, 11-2, to take a 12-11 lead, only for Newberry to score twice in the top of the seventh for a 13-12 win and a split.
Even with the split, Carson-Newman stays tied with Wingate atop the South Atlantic Conference standings in first place after the Bulldogs split with Anderson Saturday.
"We continued to have a good approach at the plate," Carson-Newman head softball coach Michael Graves said. "With the wind blowing out, I wish we had gotten the ball elevated a little bit more with the wind blowing out, but its hard to argue with 26 hits and 26 runs. I'd love to win two with those numbers, but I'm happy with how they battled and never quit."
SieAnna Cameron (Alcoa, Tenn.) had a torrid day at the plate, going 7-for-8 with four runs scored.
Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) became the second freshman in school history with double-digit home runs while running her hitting streak to 12 consecutive. She was 3-for-6 at the plate with four RBI. Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) was also 3-for-6 and drove in six.
The 25 runs scored in the nightcap are the third-most runs in a game in school history (excluding some of Carson-Newman's bigger blowouts, IE 28-0 over Belmont Abbey in 1996). The 12 runs are the most Carson-Newman has ever scored in a loss.
GAME ONE: No. 24 Carson-Newman 14, Newberry 5 (five innings)
Carson-Newman grabbed the lead with a timely two-out hit in the first. SieAnna Cameron (Alcoa, Tenn.) walked to lead off the inning. She took third on a bunt single from Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.). After a fielder's choice and a ground out, Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) delivered an infield single to third and beat the throw to first to give Carson-Newman a 1-0 lead.
The Wolves responded with a big fourth inning. Sierra Brogdon and Mackenzie Turner drilled back-to-back jacks to start the inning, then Hailey Hill finished the scoring with a sacrifice fly to left center for a five-hit, three-run frame and a 3-1 lead.
C-N answered the bell in the bottom of the fourth. Warder and Hayden Dye (Knoxville, Tenn.) started the inning with singles to short and up the middle. After a groundout, Mary Vandergriff (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) loaded the bases with one out. Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) took advantage and blooped a double to left center to score two and tie the game.
Cameron gave the Eagles the lead on an infield single to second before Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) gave the Eagles some insurance with an RBI groundout.
The Wolves responded in the top of the fifth. After a leadoff error, Turner popped a ball into the jet stream to left, it carried out of the park to tie the game 5-5.
The game see-sawed back in the Eagles' favor in the bottom of the fifth in a major way. The first three batters of the inning walked before Vandergriff banged a single of the wall in left to score two runs.
After a Cameron single down the left field line reloaded the bases, Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) cleared them with a triple into the right field corner.
RUN RULE ends game one, @kennyw33 with a 3 RBI homer to end it in the fifth.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) March 18, 2023
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Brooke Matyasovksy (Orange, Conn.) followed with a double to set the table for Warder. She launched a 1-0 pitch into the jet stream to end the game in walk-off run-rule fashion and cap the nine-run inning.
Rylee Gattis (Southside, Ala.) tallied the win to improve to 8-3. She scattered nine hits in five innings and gave up five runs, four of which were earned. The freshman struck out a career-high seven and didn't issue a free base. However, five of the nine hits that Newberry tallied off her were for extra bases.
Alexandria Sullivan took the loss in relief to fall to 7-4. She pitched 0.1 innings and allowed two hits and five runs, all earned.
GAME TWO: Newberry 13, No. 24 Carson-Newman 12
Carson-Newman grabbed the lead in the bottom of the first of game two. C-N loaded the bases without an out thanks to a Cameron single and walks to Hughes and Bailey. Carson-Newman scored the go-ahead run on a bases-loaded walk to Warder, but left them loaded in the first.
Newberry responded in the top of the second. Mady Brown nipped a two-out single to short before Hailey Hill blasted her fourth home run of the season to center to give the Wolves a 2-1 lead.
The Wolves used the long ball to play add on in the third. Molly Mattas and Turner both blasted two-run shots to right center and left, respectively, to stretch the Wolves' lead to 6-1.
Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) golfed a pitch to left center to start the third to pull the Eagles within four, 6-2.
A five-run top of the fourth followed for Newberry to make it an 11-2 lead. Mattas started the rally with a bases loaded single off the pitcher for one. A two-run single down the left field line for Brown got the lead out to nine.
C-N answered in the bottom of the fourth to pull the game away from run-rule territory. Bailey walked with the bases loaded, Matysasovksy drove in one with a single to left center, Dye fouled out to right for a sac fly and Holt ripped and RBI single to right center for a four-run inning that pulled C-N with in five, 11-6.
The Eagles erased the deficit and leveled things up in the fifth. C-N tied the game after loading the bases with no one out thanks to an RBI single from Bailey, a bases loaded walk for Warder, an RBI single back up the middle from Dye and a two-run double to left center from Carmen Holt (Lawrenceburg, Ky.).
A 10th unanswered run followed in the sixth. Cameron led off the inning with an infield single to second. She moved to second on a Macey Hughes sacrifice bunt. Bailey then ripped a 2-0 pitch to straight away center, however, Newberry's Amber Dalfonso reached over the wall to rob Bailey of the blast. Cameron was able to tag and move to third. She scored a batter later when Matyasovsky roped a single into right for a 12-11 lead.
It would be short-lived as Newberry answered the bell in the seventh. Back-to-back one-out singles to the circle got Newberry in business. A productive groundout to short moved the tying and go-ahead runs into scoring position.
The Wolves scored the tying run on a wild pitch, and brought in the go-ahead run on a Brogdon double to right.
C-N was retired in order in the seventh, however, Vandergriff's final out was robbed of extra-bases at the wall by the Wolves' leftfielder.
Sullivan got the win in relief. She pitched the final 2.2 innings to improve to 8-4. She gave up two hits and a run.
NicKolette Ferguson (Erwin, Tenn.) took her first loss in relief. She pitched the final 3.2 innings, giving up eight hits and five runs, two earned.
Carson-Newman breaks for 11 days before returning home to play Lincoln Memorial on March 29 at The Vick. Coverage of the doubleheader will be available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live. A video stream is available for a subscription through FloSports at cneagles.com/flosb.
