VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
VIDEO: Game One Highlights
VIDEO: Game Two Highlights
VIDEO: Emma Frost Interview
VIDEO: Hayden Dye Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Emma Frost (Morristown, Tenn.) hurled the first perfect game for the Carson-Newman softball program in a decade while C-N (6-8) tallied a pair of run-rule wins over Kentucky State (4-6) Tuesday afternoon at The Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
Carson-Newman won game one 8-0 behind Frost in the circle before prevailing 11-2 in the night cap.
Frost's perfect game is the fourth of her career. The LMU transfer also registered her fifth career no-hitter. The perfect game is the first for the Eagles since Kalyn Davis went 21 up and down against Erskine in February of 2014 on the road.
"We knew what we were getting with Emma," head coach Michael Graves said. "We have been trying to get her ready by conference, but all we ask of her, and for the rest of our players, is to keep improving. That said, I'll gladly take what she did today in the circle."
Frost struck out 13 of the 15 batters she faced. The 13 Ks are tied for the fifth-most in a game in school history. KSU struggled to make contact all game long. Frost threw 63 pitches, 48 of which were strikes. Thorobred batters only got a bat to eight of those pitches. The two that were put into play went to Hayden Dye at short, one on a ground out and one on a pop up.
"I told myself this morning that I could do this today," Frost said. "I knew with the defense we have behind me, it was possible. After playing them last, I thought it was possible. I'd been struggling with stamina, and was able to stay on a pace today. All those factor in to the performance today."
C-N pitching stuck out 22 of the 30 batters it faced in the doubleheader.
While Frost was dominant in the circle, C-N used the long ball to complement the pitching. The Eagles smashed six home runs on the day. Dye hit three in three straight plate appearances between the two games. Brooke Matyasovsky went yard for the 53rd time in her career. Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) launched her 20th career home run to end game one in walk-off run-rule fashion, while Skylar Jacob (Richmond, Ky.) drilled her first career home run.
"I really tried to go up there with a clear mind and just hit it hard," Dye said. "I knew I had to work through the ball. It worked for me."
Dye led C-N at the plate, going 3-for-4 with six RBI and the three blasts.
"We're definitely starting to click a little bit better," Graves said. "Hopefully we keep progressing because we're not where we want to be yet. We started off slow and got under the ball a little, but they fixed it and we started stroking it."
GAME ONE: Carson-Newman 8, Kentucky State 0 (five innings)
Carson-Newman used a two-out rally to grab the lead in the bottom of the first. Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) reached on a four-pitch walk. Hayden Dye (Powell, Tenn.) took advantage of a 3-1 pitch, launching it over the wall in center to stake C-N to a 2-0 lead.
Dye dented the scoreboard her second time through. She drilled an 0-1 pitch to lead off the fourth. The hammered ball cleared the wall opposite field in right center for her second home run in as many plate appearances and gave C-N a 3-0 lead. After Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange, Conn.) worked a one-out walk, Skylar Jacob (Richmond, Ky.) took advantage roping a line drive home run over the fence in left center to make it a a 5-0 lead. The homer was the first of Jacob's career.
The Eagles ended the game in the bottom of the fifth in walk-off run-rule fashion. Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) doubled to lead off the inning before Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) walked. Bailey ended it with a line drive home run to left – her 20th of her career.
Emma Frost (Morristown, Tenn.) struck out 13 of the 15 batters she faced en route to her fourth career perfect game and her 19th career complete-game shutout. She is 2-0 on the year
Brooklyn Holt took the loss for KSU to fall to 0-1. She gave up seven hits, four of which were home runs.
GAME TWO: Carson-Newman 11, Kentucky State 2 (five innings)
The Thorobreds hit the scoreboard first in the night cap. KSU got the first two batters on base with a pair of infield singles. After a stolen base put two in scoring position, Tanisha Valdez gave KSU the lead with a single through the right side. Savannah Teale capped the rally with an RBI fielder's choice to second and a 2-0 lead.
C-N answered immediately. Martin led off the game with a double before Bailey worked a one-out, six-pitch walk. Dye homered in her third straight at-bat, curving it down the left field line and on to the roof of the Eagles' indoor facility for a 3-2 lead after one.
The Eagles used another three-run bomb to extend the lead in the third. Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) singled up the middle to lead of the inning before Bailey walked. After a strikeout, Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange, Conn.) skied a 1-1 pitch on to the roof of the indoor hitting facility in left to extend the lead to 6-2.
C-N stretched it into run-rule territory in the fourth with a five-run frame. Hughes started the run with a one-out triple down the left field line. Bailey drove her in with a single up the gut. After a hit batter, a fielder's choice and a walk, C-N did the rest of its damage with two out. Warder doubled in two runs with a one-hopper to left center before Alaina Smith (Lebanon, Tenn.) logged her first career hit and her first career RBI with a pinch hit single into center to set the final margin at 11-2.
Hailey Leslie (Cleveland, Tenn.) got the win in relief. She pitched two shutout innings with a career-best five strikeouts. Leslie worked around two hits.
Kayla West went the distance for KSU in falling to 1-2. She gave up 11 hits and 11 runs, all earned. She struck out a season-high three.
C-N returns home Saturday to take on UNC Pembroke at 11 a.m. Coverage of the contests is available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live. A video stream can be found with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/FloSB.
