No. 24 Eagles cruise past Cavs
March 16, 2023

No. 24 Eagles cruise past Cavs

WISE, Va. – No. 24 Carson-Newman (23-5, 8-2 South Atlantic Conference) bashed 32 hits and plated 25 runs in tallying a pair of run-rule wins in a doubleheader sweep of UVA Wise (4-18, 2-10 SAC).

WISE, Va. – No. 24 Carson-Newman (23-5, 8-2 South Atlantic Conference) bashed 32 hits and plated 25 runs in tallying a pair of run-rule wins in a doubleheader sweep of UVA Wise (4-18, 2-10 SAC).

C-N used big innings to cement the run-rule victories.  Carson-Newman blasted seven runs in the fourth inning of game one en route to a 14-4 win in five innings. The Eagles scored eight in the fifth of game two before triumphing 11-0, also in five innings. 

"I'm really proud of the effort and approach on a cold and windy day both at the plate and in the circle," head softball coach Michael Graves said. "A coach can't ask for more than what they gave us today. We have been working so hard on being disciplined at the plate and it really showed today. We truly are a great hitting team when we are disciplined. We played as good of a 10 innings as we have played all year when talking about all aspects of the game."

Carson-Newman smashed 32 hits through the twinbill. The 18 hits C-N pounded out in the nightcap are the 10th-most in a single-game in school history and the fifth-most against a South Atlantic Conference foe.

It marked the first time its tallied two run-rule wins over a SAC foe since March 19, 2022 when the Eagles run-ruled Catawba twice. 

Five different Eagles hit north of .600 for the doubleheader.  Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) was 4-for-5 at the plate with four runs scored. Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) added to her nation's-leading RBI total by going 6-for-8 at the plate with seven batted in. SieAnna Cameron (Alcoa, Tenn.), Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) and Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) were the other three Eagles who hit better than .600 for the two games. 

GAME ONE: No. 24 Carson-Newman 14, UVA Wise 4 (Five innings)

Carson-Newman wasted little time in taking a lead, hanging a crooked number in the first off just one hit.  The Eagles loaded the bases with one out thanks to two hit batters and a walk.  Hayden Dye (Knoxville, Tenn.) produced the goahead run with a single off the pitcher.  A bases loaded walk to Carmen Holt (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) and C-N grabbed a 2-0 lead after the first half inning. 

UVA Wise countered with a run in the bottom of the second.  Sarah Barrett looped a one-out double to left, took third on an error and scored on a McKenna Fallwell infield single to third. 

The Eagles countered in the top of the second.  After a leadoff lineout, C-N loaded the bases with singles for Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) and SieAnna Cameron (Alcoa, Tenn.), plus a walk for Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.). 

Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) laced a ball to center to score one.  After a strikeout, Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) bounced a ball through the right side to drive in two, before a Dye single to second gave C-N a four-run inning and a 6-1 lead. 

C-N extended the lead to 7-1 in the top of the third off an error before Wise countered with three in the bottom of the frame. Fallwell doubled off the top of the wall in left before Mallory McKnight blasted a homer to center to pull the Cavs within three, 7-4.

The Eagles exploded in the top of the fourth to push the game into run-rule territory with seven runs off five hits and three errors.  Carmen Holt (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) ignited the scoring when she reached on a throwing error by the pitcher and ended up plating two. 

With the bases loaded, Cameron slashed an RBI single off the pitcher before Hughes scored two with a bash through the right side. 

Bailey rounded out the scoring to set the final margin at 14-4 with a two-run base hit through the left side. 

Rylee Gattis (Southside, Ala.) picked up the win to move to 7-3. She worked the first four innings, surrendering five hits and four runs, all earned.  Three of the five hits she gave up were for extra bases. 

NicKollette Ferguson (Erwin, Tenn.) worked a perfect fifth with two strikeouts. 

Falwell was shackled with the loss for the Cavs. She falls to 2-8.  Of the 14 runs she allowed, only seven were earned. 

GAME TWO: No. 24 Carson-Newman 11, UVA Wise 0 (five innings)

Carson-Newman once more struck first in game two.  In the top of the third, Cameron led off the inning with an infield single to short.  She took third base on a Hughes sacrifice bunt, and raced home when Bailey ripped a base hit through the left side of the infield to give C-N a 1-0 lead after 2.5 innings. 

The Eagles played add on with a two-out rally in the fourth.  Martin sparked the rally with a single back up the middle before stealing second. A two-out walk to Cameron set the table for Hughes and Bailey.  Hughes drove in one with a single back up the box, while Bailey drove in the second with a base-hit opposite field to right for a 3-0 lead. 

C-N blew the barn doors off in the top of the fifth with an eight-run inning. 

The Eagles started the inning with singles for Warder and Dye.  Then, in career at-bat number 199, Holt tanked a 2-1 pitch to straight-away center for her first career home run.  The three-run jack gave the Eagles a 6-0 lead. 

Two more singles from Mary Vandergriff (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) and Martin followed.  After a strikeout, Hughes clobbered a double off the wall in right to plate one.  Bailey added two more with a double down the left field line. 

Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange, Conn.) rounded out the scoring with her sixth home run of the year off a 1-2 pitch to right.  The two-run home run set the final margin at 11-0.

Riley Sikes (Powell, Tenn.) logged the complete-game shutout to improve to 6-1. She scatted four hits and struck out four against a season-high two walks. 

Alivia Nolle took the loss for the Cavs to fall to 2-10. She pitched 4.1 innings, giving up 17 hits and 10 runs, all earned. 

Carson-Newman returns home Saturday to take on Newberry at 1 p.m. Coverage will be available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live. A video stream can be found on a subscription basis with FloSports.

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