WINGATE, N.C. – Carson-Newman (31-15) got a dandy of a start from sophomore hurler Syerra Rogers (Graysville, Tenn.) and C-N became the second team to defeat No. 16 Wingate (42-12) at the WU Softball Complex this season.
The Eagles prevailed 6-0 behind Rogers' complete-game four-hit shutout Saturday afternoon. The win keeps the Eagles alive in the opening rounds of the SAC Softball Championships and forces a winner-take-all game against the Bulldogs at 3:45 p.m. Saturday. It will be C-N's third game of the day.
Carson-Newman becomes the fifth team (Anderson, Lenoir-Rhyne, Florida Tech and Tampa are the others) to shutout the Bulldogs this season.
Hayden Dye (Knoxville, Tenn.) and SieAnna Cameron (Alcoa, Tenn.) had multi-hit days for the Eagles. Dye drove in three runs with a double.
Carson-Newman lit the lamp first. SieAnna Cameron (Alcoa, Tenn.) led off the top of the first with a single back up the box. After a sacrifice and a pop up to the catcher, Cameron stood on second. She moved to third on a base hit to left from Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange, Conn.). Cameron scored on a base hit to right from Hayden Dye (Knoxville, Tenn.) for a 1-0 lead after the opening half inning thanks to back-to-back two out knocks.
The Eagles played add on in the fourth. After a leadoff fly out, Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) lined a single into center. That set the table for a battle for Carmen Holt (Lawrenceburg, Ky.). On the ninth pitch of her at-bat, Holt crushed a 3-2 pitch over the scoreboard in left center to put the Eagles ahead 3-0.
C-N tagged on another run in the top of the fifth. Cameron led off the inning with a double down the left field line. She moved to third when Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) dropped down a sacrifice bunt. Macauley Bailey drove her in with her 66th RBI of the season. Bailey struck a single up the middle to make it a 4-0 lead.
The Eagles pushed it out to six runs in the seventh. The Eagles loaded the bases with one out after a leadoff single for Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) and walks to Cameron and Bailey. Dye delivered two runs with a single to right. She was cut down trying to leg out a double 9-4 before a pinch-running Mari Robbins (Sweetwater, Tenn.) could cross the plate. That set the final margin at 6-0.
Syerra Rogers (Graysville, Tenn.) dazzled in her second seven-inning, complete-game shutout of the season. She scattered four hits, issued one walk and struck out five.
Rachael Cutcher took the loss to fall to 12-6. She delt 3.1 innings in a start, surrendering seven hits and three runs all earned.
C-N gets back in action 45 minutes later on Saturday for the right to play in the championship series for the SAC championships.
