Siebert helps Eagles to split with Lions

Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) pounded out six hits in eight at bats and drove in three runs as Carson-Newman split a doubleheader with Mars Hill Wednesday afternoon at Ponder Park.

Mars Hill took game one 2-1 before the Eagles sealed game two with a 5-2 margin.

“Siebert just came out very aggressive hitting where we had her today,” Carson-Newman head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said “She did a great job putting the bat on the ball. She can be explosive and she was today.”

Game one: Mars Hill 2, Carson-Newman 1

Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) hit a leadoff homerun to right center in the third, but it wasn’t enough as Mars Hill used some two-out magic to pull off a comeback and win the opening game of the doubleheader 2-1.

The Lions countered with their two in the bottom of the third. After the Eagles made the first two outs of the inning, Brittany Gibson splashed a double to right center. Jamie Hockaday would hit a single to left after the Eagles intentionally walked Robyn Stanek to give the Lions the lead for good.

“Game one we were flat and did not hit the ball,” Kazee-Hollifield said. “We just could not get it done at the plate and give their pitcher some credit too.”

The Eagles would threaten numerous times the rest of the way, but never could bring the tying run across. Carson-Newman put a runner in scoring position with less than two out in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Carson-Newman stranded 11 runners for the game.

Kaitie Sims (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) took the loss after throwing a complete game to fall to 16-4. Taylor Morris collected the win for the Lions.

Game two: Carson-Newman 5, Mars Hill 2

Carson-Newman used a big inning to propel itself to a game two win over the Lions. After Brittany Hefner (Talbot, Tenn.) singled in the third and came around to score on a Siebert slicer up the gut.

The Eagles would save the fireworks for the fifth when they put up a four spot.

With the bases loaded and no one out, Siebert knocked in her third run of the series with a single to second base. Bri Shoemake (Ooltewah, Tenn.) then brought Hefner around for her second run scored of the day on a sac fly to left field. A Bethany Davis (Nicholasville, Ky.) single to short and a Caitlyn Lance (East Ridge, Tenn.) base knock to right rounded out the scoring for the Eagles.

Mars Hill would strike back for a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning with two out. Ashley McCurry doubled in a run to left center and Gibson singled to right to bring McCurry in and draw the Lions within three.

The Lions would get one more base runner the rest of the way as the Eagles picked up the win.

Cassie Lyons (Knoxville, Tenn.) picked up the win in the circle (11-11) after scattering seven hits, walking none and striking out three. Taylor Hussey took the loss for the Lions to fall to 10-5.

Carson-Newman’s Hefner was walked six times and went two-for-three at the plate in her three official at bats. She is still within one RBI of the single season SAC and school record of 72.

“They just kept walking her, if teams are going to do that, we’ll let her at least walk in her first time to the plate (Hefner was the leadoff batter for game two),” Kazee-Hollifield said. “But if they walk her then everyone else has to pick it up. But my rule of thumb is that you have to play such great defense that it doesn’t matter whether or not you have an at bat.”

Hefner has her next chance to rewrite the record books when Carson-Newman tangles with Brevard on senior day, Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex. Coverage of the game will be available on the Coca-Cola Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com.