April 14, 2008

Final Stats

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Sophomore Jessie Howard (Knoxville, Tenn.) had six of 18th-ranked Carson-Newman's 29 hits as the Lady Eagles swept a doubleheader from visiting King College on Monday afternoon, 10-2 and 14-2, in Jefferson City. With the two wins, C-N sets a new school record for wins in a single season with 44, breaking the 1991 team's mark of 42.

Carson-Newman heads to the postseason at 44-6, while King falls to 17-22.

Game 1

Carson-Newman pounded out 16 hits to beat the Tornados 10-2 in five innings in Game One.

Senior Zoe Heim (Gallatin, Tenn.) worked four innings for the win. SHe moves to 26-5 on the year. Freshman Brittany Linton (Marietta, Ga.) worked the fifth to wrap up the C-N win. .

King started fast, striking with quick run in the top of the first. Centerfielder Megan Lilley drilled a one-out triple to right field, and later scored in a single by Tornado catcher Amanda Crumpler for the 1-0 lead.

The Lady Eagles tied the game at 1-1 on a Whitney Hickam (Knoxville, Tenn.) double in the bottom of the first. The senior ripped a line drive off King starter Ashley White into the left center, scoring Howard, who singled to lead off the inning, to tie the game at 1-1.

The C-N bats caught fire in the second inning, posting six runs on six hits to put the game out of reach. Senior Mandy Stevens (Knoxville, Tenn.) delivered the biggest blow, a towering two-run home run to left to push the score to 7-1.

Four Lady Eagles had multiple hits in the game, led by Hickam's 3-for-3 day. She also scored twice, and added three RBIs. Howard finished 2-for-4, and scored three runs.

Game 2

Carson-Newman exploded for a six runs in the first and never looked back, blowing by King 14-2 in Game Two.

Stevens, Emily Hutchins (Hixson, Tenn.), and Whitney Kee (Knoxville, Tenn.) each had an RBI double as C-N seized control early.

Lady Eagle starter Stephanie Templeton (WP, 18-1) worked four innings for the win. Junior Jessie Armstrong (Fall Branch, Miss.) work the fifth for C-N.

Howard led the way with a 4-for-4 game, scoring three times and stealing two bases.

Sophomore Sara Little (Calhoun, Ga.) was the only other Lady Eagle with multiple hits. She finished 2-for-4 with a single and a two-run double off the top of the wall in left center in the fourth.

Carson-Newman moves to postseason play on Thursday. The top-seeded Lady Eagles will face eighth-seeded Tusculum at 4:15 p.m. in Newberry, South Carolina in the first round of the 2008 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament.