Carson-Newman Blanked By Francis Marion At NCAA Southeast Region 2 Softball Tournament

DAHLONEGA, Ga. - Fourth-seeded Francis Marion used a five-run fifth inning to defeat fifth-seeded Carson-Newman, 5-0, on Friday in game one of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional 2 Softball Tournament at Haines and Carolyn Hill Softball Stadium.

With the loss, the 25th-ranked Lady Eagles (36-11) will face the loser of the matchup between North Georgia and Queens (N.C.) in an elimination game on Saturday at 5 p.m. Francis Marion (35-14) will face the winner of that contest on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

"You can either come here and play 14 innings or you can extend that," C-N head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield said. "You've got to be ready to come out and play. I'm disappointed in our effort today. I don't want to take anything away from Francis Marion. They are a very good ball club, but I'm just not pleased with our effort and I expect to see different tomorrow."

C-N was unable to produce at the plate against Francis Marion starting pitcher Michaela Wolf (21-8). Wolf, a left-hander, surrendered just two hits and fanned seven in seven innings of work to earn the win.

"We have faced left-handed pitchers all season long," Hollifield said. "You don't see them as often as right-handers. (Wolf) threw her changeup well today and threw it for a strike, or we went after it when it was not a strike. When you get here to regional play and have two hits, you are very seldom going to win a game."

C-N starter Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C., 15-7) was tagged with the loss after giving up three runs and three hits in 5 1/3 innings in the circle.

Juniors Ashley Boyd (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Leah Price (Spring City, Tenn.) each had a single for the Lady Eagles.

Francis Marion collected six hits on the night, including a RBI double by Jessica Hogan.

Shealy took a no-hitter into the fifth before the Patriots erupted for five runs on six hits to take control of the game. Jessica Birchmeier sparked the Francis Marion rally with a leadoff single and later scored on a double by Hogan. Cea Knox, Kat Beauvais and Chelle Phillips added RBI singles for the Patriots in the decisive inning.