Big bats help Eagles wallop Wolves in extras
April 27, 2023

Big bats help Eagles wallop Wolves in extras

WINGATE, N.C. – Carson-Newman (29-14) clobbered a school-record tying five home runs, including a quartet in the final three innings to take an 11-5 decision from Newberry in eight innings Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the South Atlantic Conference Softball Championships at the WU Softball Complex.

WINGATE, N.C. – Carson-Newman (29-14) clobbered a school-record tying five home runs, including a quartet in the final three innings to take an 11-5 decision from Newberry in eight innings Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the South Atlantic Conference Softball Championships at the WU Softball Complex.

Carson-Newman advances to the winner's bracket of the double elimination tournament and will play at 12:30 tomorrow.  The Eagles will face the winner of the Wingate/Anderson game, which has been rescheduled for tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. due to inclement weather.  Newberry faces elimination tomorrow at 3 p.m. against the loser of the Wingate/Anderson game. 

The contest was protracted thanks to a 1:52 rain delay.  Start to finish, it took 4:52 to close out the affair. 

After falling behind Newberry 3-0 in the first inning. The Eagles outscored the Wolves 9-1 over the final three innings

"We overcame a rough first inning where we got stuck pitching in the rain," Head softball coach Michael Graves said. "I thought after the break that Syerra did a real good job at keeping them off the scoreboard. Rylee came in and made some good pitches. Then Nicko came in and got us four big outs.

"I thought we really swung the bats good all game. We hit a lot of good shots right at them. I told them to keep swinging and they would find holes. I guess they figured the biggest hole was behind the fence. They showcased the power we have been seeing from them in practice the last week. I hope this is the team that shows up from here on out."

Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) homered twice, while Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange, Conn.), Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) and Hayden Dye (Knoxville, Tenn.) each had a homer apiece.

Bailey led the charge offensively, driving in six runs on the two blasts and a school-record sixth sacrifice fly.  Bailey shot up the single-season record books with her day.  She moved into a tie for third for the most home runs in a season with 14.  Now sitting on 64 RBI, she has the fourth-most RBI in a single season in school history. 

Carson-Newman also got a three-hit day from Dye.  Hughes and Matyasovsky both drove in two runs and had multi-hit efforts

Newberry lit the lamp first with two-out hitting in the bottom of the first.  After walks to Melanie Carr to lead off the game and Sierra Brogdon with two out, Mackenzie Turner delivered a bouncing ball through the left side of the infield to plate Carr and give the Wolves a 1-0 lead. The Wolves reloaded the bases with a walk, then the rain started to fall heavily, putting the game on pause for two hours. 

When the game resumed, Hailey Hill bounced a ball to second. Carmen Holt (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) laid out to stop the ball, but air mailed a throw to second (her only real play) into left.  Two runs scored on the play to give Newberry a three-run cushion. 

Carson-Newman answered in the top of the second with a two-out solo home run from Hayden Dye (Knoxville, Tenn.).  She pounded the first pitch she saw to straight away center to cut the deficit to 3-1.

The Eagles got another run back in the top of the third.  C-N loaded the bases with base hits from Mary Vandergriff (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) to right and a bunt single to third from SieAnna Cameron (Alcoa, Tenn.). Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) reached on an error to give the Eagles a player on every bag with one out. 

Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) lifted a 2-2 pitch to centerfield and was robbed of a grand slam by  Amber Dalfonso; however, the blast was deep enough to be a sacrifice fly and score Vandergriff for an unearned run. Bailey's 59th RBI of the year made it a 3-2 game in favor of the Wolves. 

Newberry took it back to a two-run game in the bottom of the fifth.  Molly Mattas led off the inning with a double off the wall in left center, then Sierra Brogdon pounded a single to right center to plate her and give the Wolves a 4-2 cushion. 

Carson-Newman answered in the top of the sixth.  Hughes and Bailey went back-to-back with solo jacks to start the inning and level the score a four.  Hughes' home run was the 24th of her career, tying her for eighth all-time with Mandy Stevens (2005-08). Bailey's nuke moved her into fifth for a single-season in school history with her 13th.  She also became the sixth player in school history with 60 RBI in a single season.  Carson-Newman left the go ahead run on third base in the inning.   

The Eagles jumped in front in the top of the seventh. Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) led off the inning with a walk before Cameron slashed a single through the left side.  After a flyout, a four-pitch walk to Bailey loaded the bases.

Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange, Conn.) hit an in-between nubber to third that kicked away from the Wolves' third baseman. The infield single gave C-N a 5-4 lead. 

Newberry tied the game in the bottom of the seventh.  The Wolves loaded the bases with two out.  Mady Brown hit a one out single to left before Hill walked. After a pop up to second, Lindsey Wilson sent a two-out single off the pitcher to load the bases.  Melanie Carr walked on four pitches to tie the game 5-5.  NicKollette Ferguson entered in relief to get the final out – a grounder to first – to strand the bases loaded and send the game to extras. 

In the top of the eighth, Newberry reliever Alexandria Sullivan walked the bases loaded with one out.  Hughes came through with the go ahead run off a bloop single into left center field. 

Then the Eagles broke out the big bats to create oodles of separation.  Bailey stroked her 14th home run of the season and her first career grand slam opposite field to right to make it 10-5. Matyasovsky followed suit with a line drive home run off the first pitch of her at bat to center, that stretched the lead to 11-5. 

The Wolves were retired in order in the bottom of the eighth. 

NicKolette Ferguson (Erwin, Tenn.) logged the win in relief.  She fired the final 1.1 frames in perfect fashion to improve to 5-2.  Syerra Rogers (Graysville, Tenn.) dealt the first 5.1 innings giving up four hits and four runs against seven walks and seven strikeouts. Rylee Gattis (Southside, Ala.) had 1.1 innings of relief before ceding to Ferguson.  She gave up two hits and a run. 

Sullivan takes the loss for the Wolves to drop to 8-6. She only recorded one out and gave up the home run to Bailey after walking three. 

Turner had the lone multi-hit day for Newberry offensively. She was 2-for-5 with an RBI.

C-N will face off against either the Bulldogs or Trojans in the winner's bracket Friday at 12:30 p.m.  Coverage is available on FloSports. 

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