C-N softball splits home doubleheader with Lander

Carson-Newman (7-1) softball used solid pitching and some timely hitting to win the second game of a doubleheader with Lander (3-3) in shutout style 4-0. C-N dropped the first game 7-4 after rallying with three runs in the bottom of the seventh.

“We acted like we wanted to play the second game,” Kazee-Hollifield said. “We had no life in that first game, but we’ve got to get out of the gate and be ready to play.”

Kaitie Sims (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) rifled a two-hit, complete game shutout to give the Eagles a win on the backend of play for the day.

Game one: LU 7, C-N 4

Lander broke out the big bats for the first game as Bethany Beggs went 4-4 with six RBI and a grand slam to right center. Her bomb came in the third to break open what was a 2-1 game.

Carson-Newman struggled starting and finishing innings in game one with the Bearcats. Five of Lander’s seven leadoff hitters reached on base hits, while five of LU’s seven runs came with two outs on the board. Beggs was 3-3 in two out situations.

Carson-Newman put the ball in play throughout the day, amassing 10 hits. However, the Eagles were 3-for-19 at the dish with runners on base and 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Cassie Lyons (Knoxville, Tenn.) took her first loss of the season to drop to 3-1.

Game two: C-N 4, LU 0

Carson-Newman silenced the Bearcats bats in the second game behind Sims’ arm. Lander never had a runner get past second base.

C-N scored an unearned run in the second when Bearcat third baseman Beggs saw a Braleigh Angel (Hixson, Tenn.) ground ball go five-hole and carom into left field to score Sara Kelley (Ooltewah, Tenn.) from third.

The Eagle bats would go silent until the fifth. Then Kelley walloped a three-run bomb to left center off an 0-1 fastball.

“There’s not a whole lot that was pretty today, it was good to see Sara Kelley get a hold of that one ball. We’ve got to get her bat going.”

After playing six games in four days, the Eagles break till Saturday when they hit the road to match wits with the Erskine Flying Fleet.

Source: Adam Cavalier Director of Athletic Communications Carson-Newman University