C-N Looks to Strengthen Postseason Resume in SAC Tournament Matchups with Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne/Lincoln Memorial
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (28-18, 13-11 SAC) heads to Wingate, North Carolina, for the next round of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament, a double-elimination pod.
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JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (28-18, 13-11 SAC) heads to Wingate, North Carolina, for the next round of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament, a double-elimination pod.
The Eagles will face off with the top-seeded hosts, the No. 25 Wingate Bulldogs (35-19, 18-6 SAC), at noon, while Lenoir-Rhyne (33-17, 16-8 SAC) and Lincoln Memorial (33-16, 15-9 SAC) square off in the nightcap at 3:30 p.m.
No SAC opening round series went to three games, including C-N's two-game sweep of in-state rival Tusculum. The Eagles and Pioneers went back and forth through the first five innings of game one, as Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) and Mari Robbins (Sweetwater, Tenn.) mashed a pair of home runs to give C-N a 3-1 lead before Tusculum tied it at three on a two-RBI single.
Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) and Brooklyn Lucero (Loma, Colo.) helped C-N pull away in the fifth, as Warder blasted a three-run shot before Lucero capped off a five-run inning to cap off a five-run fifth, building a lead that C-N would not relinquish in the 10-6 win.
C-N heads back to Wingate, North Carolina, facing off with a Bulldogs squad that took two from the Eagles in mid-March, outscoring C-N 21-5 in two run-rule victories.
Wingate scored six of its nine runs in game one in the first two innings and used five innings of one-run ball from Jillian Thomas, securing a 9-1 win in five innings. The Bulldogs set the tone again in game two, using a seven-run first inning to create early separation, cruising to a 12-4 win to clinch the doubleheader sweep.
Wingate raked in a league-leading five first-team all-SAC selections. Savanna Brooks, Hannah Stevens, Kaylee Hobgood, Hali Scott, and Jillian Thomas earned first-team honors after the Bulldogs earned the regular-season crown.
Stevens leads the Bulldogs in batting average (.406), home runs (17), and is second on the team in RBI (52). Brooks is second in home runs (15) and sixth in batting average (.333). Scott has done everything for the Bulldogs, hitting 12 home runs and 57 RBI while posting a 2.95 ERA in 80.2 innings in the circle. Hobgood has been one of Wingate's most consistent bats, hitting .373 with 21 RBI.
Thomas is Wingate's top arm in the circle, posting a 2.60 ERA and a 15-7 record in 124 innings. Her 109 strikeouts rank sixth in the South Atlantic Conference. Outside of Thomas and Scott, Wingate has looked to Lily Robbins, pitching 69 innings, predominantly in relief. Robbins is one of three arms in the Bulldogs staff with an ERA below three, posting a 2.84 earned run average.
C-N will face one of Lenoir-Rhyne or Lincoln Memorial in either the winners' or losers' bracket following its matchup with Wingate. The Eagles' regular season ended with two losses to LR, while C-N took two from its in-state foe in March.
The Bears had a handful of all-conference selections. Lani Warren was LR's lone first-teamer, while Avery Kiger, Katelyn Rackard, Madison Primm, and Cassidy Wall made the second team. Julia Mardigian and Faith Carrigan were selected for the third team.
Primm led the Bears in batting average (.455), home runs (17), and RBI (55). Warren, the everyday backstop for LR, hit .436 with 13 home runs and 50 RBI. Rackard and Kiger were large contributors to the Bears' division II-leading home run tally, mashing 12 apiece.
Carrigan posted a 3.86 ERA and a 13-7 record in 112.1 innings. Madison Wilson, the SAC's leader in strikeouts (157), posted a 3.68 ERA and a 16-7 record.
Hannah Bogoski and Anna Kate Reichter lead Lincoln Memorial offensively, hitting .365. Bogoski led the Railsplitters in RBI (31). However, the Railsplitters' strength comes in the circle with SAC Pitcher of the Year Halle Grace Patton. Patton leads the league in ERA (2.01) and wins (23).
C-N squares off with Wingate at noon on Thursday before facing one of Lenoir-Rhyne or Lincoln Memorial, as the Eagles look to strengthen their case for a regional bid.
The games will be broadcast live on FloSports.
For updates throughout the Carson-Newman softball postseason, visit cneagles.com and follow us on social media @cn_eagles.
