HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Carson-Newman (9-9, 2-0 SAC) swept Coker (7-12, 0-2 SAC) Tuesday afternoon at Saleeby-Stokes Field, piling up 27 runs and 28 hits to open up SAC play with two wins.
The Eagles won game one 9-3 before tallying an 18-11 win in the nightcap in one of the highest-scoring games in school history. The 29 combined runs are the third-most in school history. The two games higher than it were a 31-3 and 27-3 blow out by C-N over Fort Valley State and Tennessee Wesleyan, respectively.
"I am extremely happy to be 2-0 in the SAC to start out," Carson-Newman head softball coach Michael Graves said. "We have talked about the importance of our conference games and how every one of them is important if you want a chance to win it.
"We didn't play great in all aspects by any means. We are still working on being disciplined in the box and had a couple at bats where we were not that kept us from being even more explosive. We have to clean up our defense and keep getting better in the circle. Obviously I'm not real happy about giving up 14 runs. That absolutely cannot happen if we want to be great. We had a lot of people that had good days at the plate. Abbi was key in game 1 getting on base and setting the table. The rest of the lineup hit laser after laser. We want to be better even on Thursday."
GAME ONE: C-N 9, Coker 3
In game one, the Eagles and the Cobras stayed scoreless until the top of the third, when Hayden Dye (Knoxville, Tenn.) walked on a wild pitch that scored Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) from third.
The wild pitch started an offensive barrage from the Eagles, as in the top of the fourth, Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) scored one on a hard-hit ball that was bobbled up the middle, allowing Wynter Morris (Crozet, Va.) to touch home. Capitalizing on the Cobra error, Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) shot one back up the middle to score two. Following Bailey's knock, Hayden Dye ripped an RBI double to score Macey Hughes to cap off the frame and give the Eagles a five-run edge.
The Cobras, however, had a response in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs on a pair of base knocks and a sacrifice fly to trim the deficit to two.
Despite the surge from the Cobras, the Eagle bats stayed hot in the sixth, as Macey Hughes ripped a two-RBI double to score two before Macauley Bailey continued her solid start to the day with an RBI single that scored Hughes from second.
After holding the Cobras scoreless in the top of the sixth, Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, KY) delivered the dagger with her first home run of the season, putting the Eagles ahead 9-6, which proved to be the final tally.
The Eagles held the Cobras at bay offensively with solid outings from Emma Frost (Morristown, Tenn.), going two innings of one-hit ball before handing the ball to freshman Kayleigh Bowers (Stephenville, TX), tossing the next two, allowing just one earned run before Nickolette Ferguson (Erwin, Tenn.) capped off the collective effort with the final three innings of work.
GAME TWO: Carson-Newman 18, Coker 11
Coker grabbed the lead in the bottom of the first, scoring five times without a hit. Coker plated runs with a hit batter with the bases loaded, three runs scored on errors and one run came in on a passed ball.
The Eagles got two back in the top of the second when Hayden Dye launched a two-run blast to center.
The Cobras stretched the lead back to four runs in the bottom of the second thanks to Delaney Eaves who lifted a sacrifice fly to left.
C-N drew within a pair of runs in the top of the third. Macey Hughes led off the inning with a walk before Bailey walloped her seventh home run of the season over the fence in center to make it a 6-4 game.
The Eagles roared in front in the top of the fourth. The Eagles loaded the bases with singles from Brooklyn Lucero (Loma, Colo.), Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) and Bailey. Dye took advantage, crushing a grand slam to left center. Brooke Matyasovky (Orange, Conn.) followed with another jack to complete a five-run inning and give C-N a 9-6 lead.
The Eagles stretched it to four runs in the top of the fifth. Syerra Rogers (Graysville, Tenn.) knocked a double to right to lead off the inning before stealing third. Mary Vandergriff took advantage with a piece of situational hitting plating Rogers with a base hit to center.
The Cobras got it all back in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead. Two singles sandwiched around an error loaded the bases for the Snakes without an out. Cameron Jackson started the scoring with a base hit to left before Eaves used the big blast to score four more and put Coker in front 11-10.
Carson-Newman would scored eight unanswered to win running away. The Eagles plated four runs in both the sixth and seventh innings.
Rogers worked a bases loaded walk to open the scoring in the sixth before Lucero finished it with a bases-clearing, three-run double.
Dye got a little league home run in the seventh. Hughes and Bailey both tallied base hits to lead off the frame. Dye roped a triple to center to drive both runners in then scored when the shortstop's throw to third bounced into the dugout. C-N closed the scoring with a Rogers' infield single to the pitcher to drive in the final run.
Bowers got the win in relief to improve to 3-3. She pitched the final 2.2 innings in shutout, no-hit fashion.
Maddie Newsome took the loss for Coker to fall to 0-1. She pitched 1.1 innings giving up two hits and three runs, all earned.
Carson-Newman takes on Southern Wesleyan Thursday at 1 p.m. The Eagles and Warriors were originally scheduled to play Saturday, but threatening weather moved up the doubleheader 48 hours.
