Lady Eagles split wild doubleheader with Georgia College
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles scored 16 runs, their most in four years, in a 16-8 win in Game 1, while Georgia College bounced back for a 3-0 shutout win in Game 2 as the two teams split a softball doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex. Carson-Newman moves to 22-16 on the year, while Georgia College is now 23-19.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles scored 16 runs, their most in four years, in a 16-8 win in Game 1, while Georgia College bounced back for a 3-0 shutout win in Game 2 as the two teams split a softball doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex.
Carson-Newman moves to 22-16 on the year, while Georgia College is now 23-19.
Game 1 – Carson-Newman 16, Georgia College 8 (5 inn)
Carson-Newman's Caitlyn Lance had a two-run home run and a bases-clearing double in her first two at-bats to power C-N past Georgia College, 16-8, in the opener.
The game featured a combined 20 hits and 17 walks. The 16 runs scored by C-N is the most this season and the most since a 19-0 win over Felician College in 2008.
Lance blasted a two-run home run to left in the bottom of the first to give C-N an early 2-0 lead as it lead throughout. Sara Kelley also had a double off the centerfield fence in the inning, the first of three doubles for her in the game.
C-N, which scored at least two runs in all five of its at-bats, blew the game open with five runs in the second.
Lance delivered a bases loaded double down the left field line to give C-N a 5-0 lead.
Reliever Haley Burnett came into the game and walked the first two batters she faced, setting up an RBI single by Bethany Davis to build the lead to 7-0. C-N's Cassidy Skeen also had a double into the gap in right in the inning.
The Bobcats answered with three runs in the third to climb back into the game, cutting the lead to 7-3. Burnett blasted a three-run home run into the trees in left to score Michel'le Hull and Whitney Okvist. Okvist had the Bobcats' first hit off of Shealy earlier in the inning.
Carson-Newman added two more runs in third as Kelley lined a double into the left field corner to score Lance. Skeen drew a leadoff walk and scored on wild pitch for the first run of the inning.
Georgia College avoided the run rule in the top of the fifth by moving five runs across.
The Bobcats took advantage of an error by C-N shortstop Shelby Robertson to cut the lead to 12-8 with five unearned runs.
A two-run single by Kelsea Martin to right center cut the lead to 12-5. Second baseman Frankie Walls added a bloop single over the head of Lance at first to score two more as Georgia College began to mount a comeback.
C-N answered back with four in the bottom of the fifth to end the slugfest.
Davis and Robertson each had doubles for the Lady Eagles in fifth. Davis led off the inning with a double off the fence in right center. Kim Whaley followed with a single up the middle to give C-N a pair of runners in scoring position with no outs.
Skeen added her third hit of the game, a double to left to score Davis as C-N continued its hit parade. Robertson doubled off the bag at first to score Whaley, and a pair of illegal pitches called on Bobcats' reliever Caitlin Duvall plated Robertson to build the lead to a game-ending eight runs.
C-N outhit Georgia College, 14-6, and drew 12 walks in the win.
Skeen and Kelley were both 3-for-3. Kelley had three doubles and Skeen had two.
Lance finished 2-for-3 with five RBIs and scored three times, while Whaley also scored three runs.
Game 2 – Georgia College 3, Carson-Newman 0
Georgia College starter Erica Bell cooled the Lady Eagles bats, pitching a two-hit shutout to give the Bobcats a 3-0 win in Game 2.
Both pitchers controlled the early innings as the two teams were scoreless through four. Georgia College broke through in the fifth as Shelby Robertson bobbled a ground ball off the bat of Duvall.
Duvall would score the unearned run after a sacrifice bunt and an RBI single from Okvist to give the Bobcats a 1-0 lead.
Georgia College added two more runs on a pinch-hit RBI single by Frankie Walls in the sixth.
C-N threatened in the sixth on a double by Robertson, but couldn't string together any hits.
Bell (WP, 8-2) allowed only two hits in the win, while Shealy falls to 22-16 on the year for C-N in taking the loss.
Carson-Newman returns to South Atlantic Conference action on Saturday at Newberry. First pitch is at 2 p.m.
