No. 21 Carson-Newman perseveres with late heroics in gritty wins on opening day of the Triangle Classic
RALEIGH, N.C. – After the weather canned the first day of the Triangle Classic, there was more shuffling of the schedules that resulted in No. 21 Carson-Newman (17-2) consecutively playing three games, all on different fields, on Saturday. The Eagles trailed or were tied at some point in all three contests, and in each instance, they found ways to win.
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0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 1 |
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0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
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3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 0 |
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VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
VIDEO: Shelby Armstrong Interview
VIDEO: Grace Gregory Interview
VIDEO: Reese Winchester Interview
RALEIGH, N.C. – After the weather canned the first day of the Triangle Classic, there was more shuffling of the schedules that resulted in No. 21 Carson-Newman (17-2) consecutively playing three games, all on different fields, on Saturday. The Eagles trailed or were tied at some point in all three contests, and in each instance, they found ways to win.
The day started with an 11-4 win over Davis & Elkins, highlighted by a 10-run top of the seventh for C-N. The Senators were in control with a 4-1 lead heading into the final inning.
In the second game of the day, the Eagles rallied once again from a 4-1 deficit, this time against Lincoln (Pa.). C-N got the win on a walk-off ground out from Anne Marie Richards (Spring Hill, Tenn.), 5-4.
Michael Graves' squad closed the opening day with a 9-3 win over West Virginia Wesleyan in the nightcap. It was deadlocked after the first, 3-3, but the Eagles scored the final six runs, including the first home run of the season for Shelby Armstrong (Knoxville, Tenn.).
Carson-Newman 11, Davis & Elkins 4
The first game of the day started off slow for both sides, trading zeros in the first and the second before Carson-Newman broke the ice in the third.
Reese Winchester (San Diego, Calif.) and Malyiah Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.) both got and moved into scoring position on a passed ball. As Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) picked up her first RBI of the day on a groundout, plating Winchester, 1-0.
However, it would be the Senators who scored the next four runs. They added three in the third, starting with a double from pitcher Sammie Jarvis to score a pair of runners, followed by a sacrifice fly from Madison Smith, drove in Lorena Ruiz Rubio, 3-1.
Another run scored in the sixth as Smith did her job with her second sacrifice fly in the sixth, 4-1.
Down to their last three outs, the Eagles' bats came alive as the first three reached to load the bases. A single from Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) cut the lead in half, before Macauley Bailey ended a 13-pitch at-bat by smoking a ball down the left line to score Winchester and Smith, 4-4.
The parade kept coming for C-N as Grace Gregory (White House, Tenn.) came through with what would be the game-winning hit, a double to left field to score in Martin and Bailey. Anne Marie Richards wasted no time on the next pitch after Gregory's double to drive her in, 7-4.
After the bases were reloaded, back-to-back walks from Winchester and Smith pushed two more across. The final blow came off the bat of Bailey, her second two-run hit of the inning, this time a single that scored Winchester and Smith, 11-4.
Lacey Keck closed things out in the bottom of the seventh as the Eagles took the first game of the day.
Carson-Newman 5, Lincoln (Pa.) 4
Emma Romeka (San Diego, Calif.) got the ball in the second game of the day and worked a 1-2-3 top of the first. The C-N offense would help its pitcher out, striking in the bottom half of the inning.
Malyiah Smith led off with a bunt single, a fielder's choice put Abbi Martin on in her place. With two outs, Martin stood on third as Grace Gregory sizzled a double up the left field line, 1-0.
The Lions would answer with two runs in the second as they loaded the bases with one away after two singles and a walk in consecutive batters. Desiree Fuller singled to left, driving in Ashlynn Sherman. Then a wild pitch scored Aliya Rose, 2-1.
Romeka would put together scoreless frames in the fourth and fifth, but the Eagles' offense sputtered, leaving three runners on across the two innings.
Then Lincoln added two more in the away half of the fifth. As a single from Fuller put her on the bases, moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt from Cici Bullock before coming into score on a double from Ashley Stringer. Later, a single from Jordin Cathey added onto the lead, 4-1.
Facing a three-run deficit for the second consecutive contest, C-N would cut the deficit in half as back-to-back fielder's choices put Macauley Bailey on, and she advanced to second on an error as Gregory shot one into right center to make the lead just two runs, 4-2.
In the sixth, back-to-back singles from Addie Saunders and Katey Mathena put the pressure on. After Romeka used her bat to get with a fielder's choice and move up to second on a stolen base, Reese Winchester came through, staring down the barrel of an 0-2 count. The second baseman hammered a ground-rule double to left center, scoring Romeka and Saunders, 4-4.
After Lacey Keck put the Lions down in order in the seventh, C-N had some late-game magic to pick up the win. A single from Macauley Bailey and a walk from Gregory put two on with nobody out. Anne Marie Richards put down a sac bunt that ended up being the final play as the ball got away from the first baseman, allowing pinch runner, Bailee Worley, to score the winning run, 5-4.
Carson-Newman 9, West Virginia Wesleyan 3
Carson-Newman finished the day by carrying momentum into the first inning against West Virginia Wesleyan. After Malyiah Smith led off the game with a single, Macauley Bailey drove her in with a double. Later in the inning, a single from Addie Saunders (Radford, Va.) doubled the lead, as Katey Mathena's (Blacksburg, Va.) infield single grew the lead a little larger, 3-0.
However, a three-run home run from Josi Fix in the bottom of the first leveled things for the Bobcats, 3-3.
It was not until the fifth inning that the Eagles went back in front for good. Bailey and Gregory reached to start the inning before moving to second and third with one out after a sacrifice bunt. This set the table for a ground-rule double from Addie Saunders, 5-3. Followed quickly by a two-run home run from Shelby Armstrong, 7-3. It was Armstrong's first in a Carson-Newman uniform.
C-N added runs in the sixth, as Malyiah Smith scored on a wild pitch, and the seventh, an Abbi Martin RBI groundout, 9-3.
Atiana Stamper (Knoxville, Tenn.) went the distance with a complete game, allowing just three runs on three hits, while striking out six.
The Eagles are back in action tomorrow with the first pitch against Bluefield State slated for 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, with a noon start time against Indiana (Pa.). All games can be heard on cneagles.com/live or watch the radio crew work with the In The Booth Cam on YouTube.
