Stamper dazzles as Carson-Newman takes game one against Catawba
In her postseason debut, Atiana Stamper (Knoxville, Tenn.) carved through the Catawba (26-24) order to propel Carson-Newman (38-10) to a victory and take a 1-0 series lead in the first round of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament, 2-1.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 18 | 0 |
|
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 1 |
VIDEO: Game One Highlights - Carson-Newman 2, Catawba 1
VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
VIDEO: Atiana Stamper Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In her postseason debut, Atiana Stamper (Knoxville, Tenn.) carved through the Catawba (26-24) order to propel Carson-Newman (38-10) to a victory and take a 1-0 series lead in the first round of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament, 2-1.
The freshman became the first Eagle pitcher to be named First Team All-SAC since Allison Rager in 2019, and Stamper showed everyone why. In her 10th complete game of the season, she recorded seven strikeouts, allowing just two hits and five base runners. The Knoxville native didn't allow her first hit until the sixth inning.
"I just came into this game with more confidence," Stamper said. "I tried to have a good mindset throughout the game, no matter if they got a hit or if I walked a girl, I just tried to have a good mindset, and I knew my team had my back."
For head coach Michael Graves, it was a change of pace from the dominant sweep against Catawba in early April, but in the postseason, the win is what matters most, especially with how Stamper pitched.
"That's the reason she's First Team All-Conference, couldn't ask more for your starting pitcher in a situation like that," Graves said. "It wasn't always pretty, but at this point in time, you just find a way to win, and you move on to the next."
Stamper quickly settled into a groove, posting a 1-2-3 frame in the opening inning, all on fly balls to the outfield, before her offense broke the ice.
SAC Freshman of the Year and First Team shortstop Malyiah Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.) drew a leadoff walk and advanced to scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.). Then, Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) snapped a streak of five-straight games without an RBI as she muscled a blooper to right field, with Smith motoring around third to score the game's first run, 1-0.
In the second, Stamper notched her first two strikeouts to bookend the second inning, retiring Catawba in order. Through two innings, the right-hander delivered 17 pitches, missing outside the zone just once.
Her offense added another in the second after a wild sequence. Anne Marie Richards (Spring Hill, Tenn.) led with a single, but after moving to scoring position, was out on a rundown on a Katey Mathena (Blacksburg, Va.) fielder's choice. It was followed by an infield pop-up from Shelby Armstrong (Knoxville, Tenn.) that landed fair, but as it was spinning back foul, catcher Maddy Altiers played the ball, allowing Mathena to advance to third. The sophomore was initially called out, but a successful challenge by Graves put runners on the corners. Armstrong then swiped second base, and during that sequence, Catawba's pickoff throw to third went into left field, and Mathena took advantage to double the lead, 2-0.
In the third, Dakotah Wilkins became the Indians' first base runner after being hit by a pitch. However, Richards had other plans, catching Wilkins stealing, teaming up with Smith for a tremendous defensive play.
Stamper worked scoreless frames the next two frames, carrying her no-hit bid into the sixth inning as C-N's offense sputtered.
Wilkins then broke up the no-hitter with one out in the sixth. After putting another on base, standout junior Brianna Gallagher smashed a ball up the middle, scoring Wilkins and cutting the lead in half, 2-1. With runners on the corners, Stamper worked out of trouble.
The Eagles looked for insurance in the bottom half, loading the bases, after Addie Saunders (Radford, Va.) walked, Sarah Walker (Mills River, N.C.) singled and Mathena walked. Catawba starter Alex Baquie escaped the jam as Lacey Keck (Knoxville, Tenn.) popped out.
In the seventh, Stamper closed out game one with a 1-2-3 inning, finishing with her seventh strikeout to give C-N a 1-0 series lead heading into Sunday.
Carson-Newman looks to join the three other top seeds, Lenoir-Rhyne, Anderson and Lincoln Memorial, who already punched their tickets to the SAC Championship Series next week in Hickory, North Carolina.
"I told them after the game, we still control our own destiny for what we want to do, you just keep winning till they say we don't have any more games to play," Graves said. "If we can win tomorrow, get to Hickory, where it's a double elimination tournament, and it's anybody's game. I think any of the four teams going to be there is capable of winning."
The Eagles will go for the sweep tomorrow in game two, which is slated for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch in Jefferson City, with Catawba serving as the home team. If Catawba wins, it will force a winner-take-all game three following game two. Fans can watch the game on FloSports with a subscription, listen on cneagles.com/live or tune in to In The Booth Cam on Carson-Newman's Eagle Sports Network YouTube Channel.
