NEWBERRY, S.C. – Carson-Newman (19-11, 9-1 South Atlantic Conference) started hot to stretch its win streak to double-digits, but Newberry (17-15, 5-5 SAC) got potent pitching late to split a doubleheader with the Eagles Sunday afternoon at the Smith Road Complex.
Carson-Newman won game one in run-rule fashion, 10-1 in five innings, before Newberry retired the final 10 Eagle batters in order to secure a 6-3 win in the nightcap.
"I think we came out in game one and played one of the better games of the year, if not the best given our competition," Carson-Newman head softball coach Michael Graves said. "We were clicking on all cylinders and didn't give them a chance to be in the game. I think it was total opposite in game two. Defense played well all day, but in game two it seemed like whoever led off the inning for them, hurt us. We have really got to focus and make a point of keeping the leadoff batter of the inning off base.
"I also think we lost the focus we have had during our hot streak at the plate in game two. We took a lot of called strikes and then we chased a lot of balls out of the zone. We uncharacteristically had a bunch of bad strikeouts and just bad at bats in general. It's been a long time since we did that. We have got to focus on LMU and get our team back on track moving forward."
Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) moved into the top five in program history in career RBI, driving in the 157 run of her career in the twinbill. She, Hayden Dye (Powell, Tenn.) and Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) logged multi-hit and multi-RBI efforts in the game one win.
GAME ONE: Carson-Newman 10, Newberry 1 (five innings)
Carson-Newman lit the lamp first. The Eagles tallied one out singles in the top of the first from Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) back up the box and Hayden Dye (Powell, Tenn.) to first. Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) drove in Hughes with a single ripped to right. Dye then scored on a wild pitch to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead after the opening half inning.
Hughes and Dye jump started the Eagles' offense again in the third. Hughes led off the inning with a double to right center before Dye singled to left. Bailey took advantage again, ramming a 2-1 pitch over the wall in left center for her 25th career jack and a 5-0 lead for C-N.
The Eagles continued to play add on in the inning. Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange, Conn.), Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) and Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) all walked to load the bases with two out. Wynter Morris (Crozet, Va.) then worked a pinch-hit, bases-loaded base on balls to stretch the lead to 6-0. Hughes followed with her second hit of the inning to drive in two and make that edge 8-0. The Eagles plated six runs in the inning off four hits.
C-N stretched the lead to 10-0 in the fifth with a two-out, two-run blast from Dye.
Newberry answered with a leadoff home run to start the bottom of the fifth to break up Emma Frost's (Morristown, Tenn.) perfect game and no-hitter. Vanessa Wilson belted the solo shot to center to set the final margin at 10-1.
Frost went the distance for the complete-game victory. She struck out three and only allowed the one base runner – granted it was Wilson's home runs – in improving to 8-1 on the year. The complete game is the seventh of the season for Frost.
Linsey Foster took the loss for the Wolves to fall to 5-3. She dealt a 2.0-inning start, surrendering five hits and four runs, all earned. She walked one and fanned two.
GAME TWO: Newberry 6, Carson-Newman 3
Newberry struck first in the nightcap. The Wolves took advantage of a walk and a single to start the first when Cassidy Phelps drove in two with a sinking single to right center for a 2-0 lead.
Carson-Newman responded in the top of the second. Bailey led off the inning with a two-base error, and scored when Matyasovsky drove her in with a double down the left field line. The Eagles then loaded the bases with two out thanks to an error and an infield single to third from Trinity Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.). Martin pummeled a pitch off the Wolves' second baseman, caroming into shallow right field. That drove in two and allowed Martin to get to second on a rare infield double. Carson-Newman led 3-2 when the dust settled.
The Wolves retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth. The Wolves had the first two in the frame reach with a walk and a single. A sacrifice moved the pair of runners into scoring position. Warder tried to pick off a runner at third base, but her throw scooted off the batters back and into left to allow the tying run to cross on an unlucky throwing error.
Sierra Brogdon followed with a sacrifice fly to right to give the Wolves a 4-3 lead. With two out, Newberry extended the lead further thanks to a walk and Hailey Hill home run to left. The two-run shot extended the lead to 6-3.
Carson-Newman was retired in order through its final 10 batters following a fourth-inning two-out single from Warder.
NicKolette Ferguson (Erwin, Tenn.) took the loss for C-N to fall to 3-2 on the year. She pitched 0.2 innings in relief and surrendered a pair of unearned runs.
Lex Glemaker went the distance to get the win for the Wolves. She improved to 6-4 with the win. Glemaker scattered four hits and struck out seven without walking a batter.
Carson-Newman stays on the road Wednesday to take on Lincoln Memorial at 1 p.m. from Dorothy Neely Field. Coverage will be available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live.
