Lady Eagles Fall To No. 11 Lenoir-Rhyne, 12-6 And 7-6, Friday Afternoon In SAC Action
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (27-4, 6-2 SAC) fell for the first time in nearly a month and dropped its first two South Atlantic Conference games of the season Friday afternoon as No. 11 Lenoir-Rhyne (37-5, 10-0 SAC) defeated the Lady Eagles by scores of 12-6 and 7-6 at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex. The defeats snapped a 17-game winning streak that dated back to March 5.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (27-4, 6-2 SAC) fell for the first time in nearly a month and dropped its first two South Atlantic Conference games of the season Friday afternoon as No. 11 Lenoir-Rhyne (37-5, 10-0 SAC) defeated the Lady Eagles by scores of 12-6 and 7-6 at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex. The defeats snapped a 17-game winning streak that dated back to March 5.
Game One – No. 11 Lenoir-Rhyne 12, Carson-Newman 6
- Box Score
Carson-Newman took a 4-0 lead in the bottom on the second inning
with two outs on a three-run home run to center field by junior
third baseman Whitney Kee (Knoxville, Tenn.).
Junior shortstop Jessie Howard (Knoxville, Tenn.)
followed that up with a single to left field, driving in junior
left fielder Leah Price (Spring City, Tenn.).
Lenoir-Rhyne responded with three runs in the top of the third. Brittany Cherry (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) led the Bears off with a one-out single and Carlee Carpenter (Newton, N.C.) drew walk to put runners on first and second. Sarah Atkins (Newport News, Va.) drilled a two-out home run to left centerfield to draw the score to 4-3.
The Bears got three runs in the top of the fourth to take a 6-3 lead. A two-out single to left centerfield by Cherry drove in two runs to highlight the inning for L-R.
C-N closed the gap to 6-5 in the bottom of the fourth frame. With the bases loaded, junior pitcher Ashley Boyd (Chattanooga, Tenn.) drew a walk, scoring Howard.
L-R got four more runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 10-5 advantage. Tameron Sealey (Mount Holly, N.C.) led the inning off with a single, and Carpenter and Atkins reached with a single and walk respectively, to load the bases. Ashley Duckworth (Conover, N.C.) cleared the bases with a grand slam to right centerfield.
Carson-Newman got a run back in the bottom of the sixth inning as senior first baseman Sara Little (Calhoun, Ga.) homered to right field, making the score 10-6.
Lenoir-Rhyne added two more runs in the top of the seventh. A double by Jessica Fellmeth (Waxhaw, N.C.) and a single by Kat Rivers (Royston, Ga.) each plated runs in the frame as the Bears took a 12-6 lead.
L-R’s Dawon Millwood (Hixson, Tenn.) moved to 16-2 on the year with the win in the circle, scattering seven hits over five innings of work. She also struck out four. Boyd fell to 16-1 with her first loss of the season, despite striking out six batters.
Game Two – No. 11 Lenoir-Rhyne 7, Carson-Newman 6
- Box Score
Carson-Newman got off to a solid start with three runs in the first
inning. With Howard and sophomore right fielder Cassidy
Skeen (Powell, Tenn.) on with two outs, Boyd homered
to left centerfield, giving the Lady Eagles a 3-0 lead.
The Lady Eagles added two more runs in the bottom of the second. With the bases loaded and no outs, sophomore Amy Lawrence (Knoxville, Tenn.) had a two-run pinch-hit single up the middle extending the lead to 5-0.
Lenoir-Rhyne got on the board in the top of the fourth with two runs. Rivers tripled to right centerfield to lead off the inning and the Bears would see the bases loaded with one out. Fellmeth drew a walk to score a run and Brandi Haithcock (Snow Camp, N.C.) singled through the right side, scoring another to make the score 5-2.
C-N got another run in the fourth, pushing the lead to 6-2 as Shoemake hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring junior centerfielder Whitney Durham (Rossville, Ga.).
L-R got the run back in the top of the fifth. After Rivers singled to lead off the inning, Atkins hit a RBI double to right centerfield to make the score 6-3.
The Bears got four runs in the top of the seventh to take a 7-6 lead. After Carpenter singled up the middle and Rivers drew a walk with one out, Atkins hit a home run to left centerfield, tying the contest at seven runs apiece. Duckworth then doubled to right field and two batters later Fellmeth had a double of her own down the left field line to give the Bears an advantage that they would hold onto through the bottom of the frame.
L-R’s Alex Smith (Cocoa, Fla.) picked up the win in the circle to move to 14-3 on the year as she went six innings in relief, striking out six and allowing just three hits. Sophomore Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.) (9-2) went the distance despite the loss for the Lady Eagles.
Carson-Newman will travel to Tusculum on Tuesday for a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader before returning to the Lady Eagle Softball Complex on Wendesday to face Limestone in a doubleheader. Both contests are set for a 2:00 p.m. first pitch.
