Lady Eagles come up short against Brevard in opening round of SAC Tournament, 1-0
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Brevard junior catcher Chelsi Mallory (Mechanicsville, Va.) lined a one-out single to center field in the top of the seventh inning to drive in Becca Curlee (Eagle River, Alaska) for the winning run, as the seventh-seeded Tornados upset second-seeded Carson-Newman, 1-0, on Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the 2011 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Brevard junior catcher Chelsi Mallory (Mechanicsville, Va.) lined a one-out single to center field in the top of the seventh inning to drive in Becca Curlee (Eagle River, Alaska) for the winning run, as the seventh-seeded Tornados upset second-seeded Carson-Newman, 1-0, on Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the 2011 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex.
With the win, Brevard advances to face third-seeded Catawba on Thursday at 9 a.m. at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex. The Lady Eagles will play sixth-seeded Mars Hill in an elimination game at 9 a.m. at Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tenn.
Neither team was able to get anything going at the plate through six innings of play, but a Lady Eagle error in the top of the seventh allowed Curlee to reach safely to lead off the inning. Two batters later, Brevard took advantage of the opportunity, as Mallory delivered the game-winning hit.
Brevard starting pitcher Martika Elmore (Fayetteville, N.C.) then retired the side in the home half of the seventh to seal the win. Elmore (17-10) fired a two-hit shutout and had two strikeouts in seven innings of work.
Lady Eagle starter Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.) took the loss despite a solid outing. Shealy (33-12) surrendered one unearned run and seven hits and fanned four batters in seven innings in the circle.
Mallory finished the contest with two of Brevard's seven hits, while Kayla Clemens (Sebring, Fla.) went 2-for-3.
Sophomore catcher Bri Shoemake (Ooltewah, Tenn.) and freshman third baseman Sara Kelley (Birchwood, Tenn.) each had a single in the loss for C-N.
