GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (24-16, 12-6 SAC) blasted three home runs in the secod game of a doubleheader to match the program's single-season record for home runs and pick up a split with Tusculum (23-18, 13-7) Wednesday evening at Red Edmunds Field.
Tusculum rallied from a three-run deficit to take a 6-4 win in game one before the Eagles brought out the big bats for an 8-1 win in the nightcap. The Eagles gutted out the win in spite of a stomach bug that was making its way through the team.
"At the beginning of the day before the games started, ff you told me we would get a split I would have gladly taken it," head softball coach Michael Graves said. "We've got starters that have puked all night, dehydrated from being sick the last couple of days, and of course all the injuries. We tried to make the best lineup possible that would give our team a chance to win today with what we had available.
"I really appreciate the effort I got from Bailee Worley to catch about 12 innings today, and for Kennady for toughing things out and trying to go. I was also told by training staff that we weren't sure how long Emma could go but she toughed out a great seven innings. All in all it took a lot of effort from several people to do what we did today."
Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) and Brooke Matyasovksy (Orange, Conn.) went for back-to-back jacks in the night cap to stay even with one another for the league lead in home runs. They both have 13. Brooklyn Lucero (Loma, Colo.) cranked her third to bring the Eagles' season total to 49 – tied with the 2013 team for the most in program history.
Hayden Dye (Cross Plains, Tenn.) and Bailey both drove in four runs for the DH, with all of Dye's coming in game one and all of Bailey's coming in game two.
GAME ONE: Tusculum 6, Carson-Newman 4
Tusculum struck first in the bottom of the second. Danielle Jason led off the game taking a 3-2 pitch to the wall in the left center alleyway for a triple. Brooke Smith put down a sacrifice bunt up the first base line to plate Jason and give Pioneers an opening 1-0 lead.
Carson-Newman answered in the third. Trinity Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) led off the inning with an infield single off the pitcher. She stole second on a strikeout, then ran the bases aggressively on a fly out. Hayden Dye (Powell, Tenn.) skied a ball deep to right to the wall. It was hauled in, but the cutoff came into second, allowing Brooks to wheel around third and score from two bases away on one of the more unusual sacrifice flies.
The Eagles raced in front in the fourth with a titanic two-out rally. Tusculum pitcher Emily Sappington retired the first two Eagles of the inning with a soft lineout back to the circle and a punchout. Then, the Eagles saw the next three batters reach. Walks to Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) and Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) sandwiched around a Brooks infield single to short. Dye took advantage, slashing a double off the wall in right center to clear the bases and give C-N a 4-1 lead.
Tusculum answered in the bottom of the fourth with unearned runs. Sappington led off the inning with a six-pitch walk. A pinch-running Kylie Darrow took third on an Alyssa Barbrick sacrifice bunt. Barbrick reached on a throwing error by the catcher and moved to second. After a pop up to short, Jason dropped down a sacrifice bunt to score Darrow. Smith followed with an RBI double to left center. Claire Smeltzer tied the game when she reached on a fielding error at first and Smith scored from two bases away. When the dust settled, it was 4-4 after four.
Tusculum retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Ellie Alvarez led off the inning with a solo shot to center for her eighth home run of the year and a 5-4 lead.
The Pioneers tacked on insurance in the bottom of the sixth. Smith and Smeltzer started the inning with singles before a strikeout and a sacrifice bunt moved the pair into scoring position. A wild pitch brought Smith home from third to give the Pioneers a 6-4, two-run cushion.
Sappington went the distance for Tusculum to improve to 9-5 on the year. She worked around eight hits and four walks to strand seven C-N runners. She struck out eight.
NicKolette Ferguson (5-3) took the loss for C-N in a 4.0-inning start. She allowed nine hits and five runs, only two of which were earned. Ferguson walked two and struck out two.
GAME TWO: Carson-Newman 8, Tusculum 1
Carson-Newman snagged a game-two lead in the second inning when Brooklyn Lucero led off the second inning stroking her third home run of the season to left center.
More blasts followed in the third for the Eagles. Brooks led off the inning slashing a single to left. All hands were safe a batter later as Hughes hit a grounder to third. The Pioneers tried to get the lead runner Brooks, but she beat the throw to second for a fielder's choice. After an infield fly, Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) ripped her 13th home run of the season and the 28th of her career down the left field line to give C-N a 4-0 cushion. Brooke Matyasovsky followed a batter later with an opposite field home run to right center to stretch the edge to 5-0.
The Eagles stretched the lead to eight in the top of the seventh. Dye and Bailey smoked doubled, with Bailey's two-base hit plating Dye with two away. After a Matyasovsky infield single to short, Lucero finished the Eagles' scoring with a third-straight two-out hit, a two-RBI double to right.
Makayla Bush finished the scoring for Tusculum with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh.
Emma Frost (Morristown, Tenn.) locked up the win in the circle for the Eagles to improve to 11-3. She worked the complete game, scattering four hits while striking out six and walking two.
Ireland Cavanaugh got hit with the loss to fall to 8-9. She pitched the first 2.1 innings. Cavanaugh gave up five hits and five runs. Three of the five hits were homers.
Carson-Newman returns home Saturday to take on Emory & Henry at 1 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network is available at cneagles.com/live. A video stream can be found with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/FloSB.
