March 13, 2008

Final Stats

JEFFERSON CITY, TN - The Carson-Newman softball team swept a doubleheader with visiting Mars Hill Thursday afternoon in a matchup of the top two teams in the South Atlantic Conference.

The Lady Eagles rallied for a 2-1 win in the opener, and then pulled away for a 7-2 victory in the nightcap to improve to 24-3 on the season. Mars Hill fell to 21-3 overall. The twin-bill marked the beginning of the conference schedule for both schools.

"We're real pleased to get two victories today," said Carson-Newman Head Coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield, whose squad has now won 16 straight contests. "When you look at Mars Hill's statistics, they've been pitching it well, hitting it well and defending it well, so this was big for our team."

The first game saw Mars Hill post one run in the opening inning and maintain that margin until the latter part of the game.

Carson-Newman had an opportunity to do damage with one out and bases loaded in the third, but Mars Hill pitcher Tiffany Farthing (Kure Beach, NC) struck out Whitney Hickam (Knoxville, TN) and Mandy Stevens (Knoxville, TN) to get out of the jam.

"What I hope we learned from this is that we have to maximize our opportunities," said Kazee-Hollifield. "With our conference as tough as it is, we may only get one or two shots (to score each game), so we better take advantage."

The Lady Eagles finally got something going in the bottom of the seventh as Sara Little (Calhoun, GA) and Stephanie Templeton (Ringgold, GA) connected on back-to-back RBI doubles to put the home team in front 2-1.

Carson-Newman pitcher Zoe Heim cruised through the seventh inning to earn her SAC-leading 13th win of the season. The senior from Gallatin allowed five hits while striking out 10 Mars Hill batters.

Farthing was tagged with the loss, giving up two runs on five hits. She struck out three in the game. Paige Brantley (Raleigh, NC) came on in relief with one out in the sixth inning.

Little was the only Carson-Newman player to have a multi-hit effort in the game, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Freshman center fielder Natalie Haithcox (Asheboro, NC), who currently ranks fifth in the league in hitting, was 2-for-3 for Mars Hill. She accounted for the Lions' only run when she drove in Kristina Osborn (Birmingham, AL) in the first.

The second game featured another steady pitching performance and more timely hitting by Carson-Newman.

The Lady Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and broke the game open with five more runs in the sixth. Mars Hill scored two runs in its final at-bat.

Templeton picked up her 10th win of the season in the pitching circle for Carson-Newman, breezing along until the final-inning outburst by the Lions. The sophomore hurler allowed just four hits while striking out 10.

Freshman Tara West (Urbana, OH), who entered the game with the second-lowest ERA among pitchers in the SAC behind Brantley, gave up five runs on seven hits and three walks before being pulled in the sixth.

Stevens and Hickam both collected a pair of hits and drove in two runs apiece for Carson-Newman. Elisha Collins (Rutledge, TN) added a 2-for-3 effort at the plate. Jessie Howard (Knoxville, TN), Jessie Kuhlman (Portage, MI) and Amber Palmer (Kennesaw, GA) each contributed an RBI.

Osborn went 2-for-3 to account for half of Mars Hill's hit total in the game. Haithcox and Ashley Harber (Goose Creek, SC) each drove in a run.

The Lady Eagles will be making a four-game swing through Florida next week, beginning with a doubleheader against Rollins College at 5 p.m. Monday. Mars Hill returns to action this Sunday with a road trip to the University of West Alabama.