VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For the first time since 2017, 21st-ranked Carson-Newman (17-5, 4-2 South Atlantic Conference) found itself on the wrong end of a doubleheader sweep against Limestone (12-12, 5-3 SAC), Tuesday afternoon at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex.
The Saints clubbed three home runs and out hit C-N 17-11 en route to taking the twinbill by scores of 4-3 and 5-1.
"We got out-pitched, we got out-hit and we got out-defensed," Carson-Newman head softball coach Michael Graves said. "What we talked about needing to do today, we flat out did not do and absolutely none of that came to fruition today."
Of the nine runs the Saints scored in the doubleheader, six came as the result of extra-base hits. Meanwhile, of Carson-Newman's four runs, only one was recorded with a hit of any sort.
The Saints had 31 at-bats with runners on base between the two games. C-N had 16.
GAME ONE: Limestone 4, No. 21 Carson-Newman 3
Limestone hit the launching pad to grab an early lead. Faith Callaway one-hopped a double to the wall down the left field line before Santana Anderson clubbed the first pitch of her at bat over the wall in left center to give the Saints a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.
Carson-Newman countered in the bottom of the third. C-N loaded the bases off a Carmen Holt (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) single up the middle, a fielder's choice for Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) and a single to right from SieAnna Cameron (Alcoa, Tenn.). Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) plated the first run with a groundout to second. Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) then lifted a fly ball deep to left to allow Martin to tag and score to tie the game 2-2.
Limestone retook the lead in the top of the fourth thanks to a one-out solo homer from Madison Chappell, her third home run of the year
C-N tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. Hughes and Bailey led off the inning with singles before Brooke Matyasovksy (Orange, Conn.) sacrificed two pinch runners over to third. Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) delivered the game-tying knock with a single to left center.
However, a double-play erased the go-ahead run at the plate and sent the game to the seventh tied 3-3.
Limestone retook the lead in the top of the seventh. Two singles started the inning for Limestone. Katie Wilbur pushed across the goahead run with a single to left center for a 4-3 lead.
C-N went down in order to lose its first home game of the year.
Caroline Ruth went the distance for Limestone to improve to 5-5. She scattered five hits, gave up three runs, all earned and walked one against three strikeouts.
Rylee Gattis (Southside, Ala.) took the loss to fall to 6-3. She gave up nine hits and four runs, all earned, walking one and striking out two.
GAME TWO: Limestone 5, Carson-Newman 1
Carson-Newman wasted no time in grabbing a lead in game two. Macey Hughes (Corryton, Tenn.) drilled a one out double to right center and then took third on a wild pitch. Bailey drove her in with a sacrifice fly to right center to give C-N a 1-0 lead after one.
Limestone answered in the top of the second. Ragan Bristol led off the inning with a walk, then scored from three bases away on a double to the wall in left from Chappell to level the game at a run apiece.
The Saints grabbed the lead in the third. Callaway walked to lead off the inning, then Anderson smashed a 2-1 pitch to centerfield to put the Saints ahead 3-1.
Two infield singles with two outs from Callaway and Anderson allowed the Saints to extend the lead to 5-1 in the top of the sixth.
Carson-Newman went down in order in the seventh to end a chance of a comeback.
Haley White got the win for Limestone to improve to 4-2. She dealt her third complete game of the season, scattering six hits against the one earned run. She didn't walk anyone and struck out one.
Syerra Rogers (Graysville, Tenn.) took her first loss of the year to fall to 4-1. She struck out seven and walked five. She gave up five hits and four runs, but three of the five hits were for extra bases.
C-N hits the road Thursday to take on North Greenville at 2 p.m. Follow @CN_Eagles on Twitter for live updates of the games.
