Kazee-Hollifield wins 300th SAC game, Eagles split with Cobras

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (26-14, 11-3 South Atlantic Conference) softball head coach Vickee Kazee-Hollifield became the first coach in league history to win 300 career SAC games in any sport as the Eagles split with Coker Saturday afternoon at the Vickee Kazee-Hollifield Softball Complex. 

The Eagles run-ruled Coker in game one in five innings 10-1.  The Cobras won in the nightcap to spoil the doubleheader 5-3. 

"To reflect on it, I've coached a good many quality student athletes here," Kazee-Hollifield said. "It's been a lot of fun, and Carson-Newman gives you the climate to get those quality kids that give you the means to go to work.  We've talked about quality kids, but I can't say enough about assistant coach Michael Graves, who has been with me for 15 years.  I'm very fortunate to have him as an assistant."

Kazee-Hollifield joins Florida Southern's Chris Bellotto, Wayne State's Gary Bryce, Colorado Mesa's Kris Mort and LIU Post's Jamie Apicella as the only NCAA Division II baseball coaches to win 300 games at one school in one league. 

Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) went 4-for-6 on the doubleheader with three runs batted in to lead the Eagles offensively.

Game one: Carson-Newman 10, Coker 1 (five innings)

Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) helped the Eagles dent the scoreboard first.  Toppel walked to lead off the game and moved to second on a Shon Jordan (Hermitage, Tenn.) sacrifice. 

Siebert ripped a ball up the middle into centerfield to score Toppel and put the Eagles up 1-0 in the first. 

Coker quickly responded.  Tayler Barcomb singled up the middle to lead off the inning and stole second.  She moved to third on a Hannah Price single before working a double steal with price to take home and tie the game at one in the top of the second. 

Carson-Newman picked up business offensively in the fourth.  Ashlyn Cooper (Friendsville, Tenn.) led off the inning with a single through the left side.  Alex Kazee (Huntsville, Tenn.) pinch ran, and moved to second on a passed ball. 

Toppel scored her with a double down the left field line. Following a groundout, Siebert singled up the middle to plate Toppel to make it 3-1 Eagles.

The Eagles kept the rally rolling with a Dean smash up the middle to give the Eagles two runners aboard. Siebert and Dean each moved up a base on a wild pitch.  Katie Pritchett (Ringgold, Ga.) then came through with a clutch hit.  She blooped a double under the glove of the left fielder Rebekah Addison to clear the bases and put the Eagles ahead 5-1.

Carson-Newman exploded in the fifth for five more runs to end it by virtue of the run rule.

After Allison Webster (Charlestown, Ind.) popped up to second to start the inning, Copper and Donna Ryan (Orlando, Fla.) each plopped singles down the left field line to give the Eagles a pair of base runners. Toppel walked to load the bases. Jordan then doubled to the wall in left to plate Ryan and Cooper.

A Siebert sacrifice fly to center scored Toppel with two out.  Lindsay Dean (Coeburn, Va.) then drilled her 13^th home run over the wall in  right to end the game early and put the final in five innings at 10-1.

The Eagles walk-off home run to win by the run rule was the first for the program since Bre Lockettt hit a two-run bomb against Brevard on March 15, 2015. 

Webster got the win to move to 16-7. She struck out nine and walked two.  Tabitha Allen took the loss for the Cobras to fall to 4-10.  She gave up nine hits in four innings of work. The Eagles scored five runs off her, and five runs off Augusta Jackson who relieved her in the fifth. 

Game two: Coker 5, Carson-Newman 3

Carson-Newman worked through a jam to open up the game.  Riley Morris led off the contest with a triple before Webster got a pair of strikeouts and a pop up to end the threat.

Coker would dent the scoreboard first in game two.  Riley Morris singled through the left side of the infield with one out and moved to second on a Katelyn Chambers sacrifice. 

Maria Williamson came through with a clutch hit, lacing a double to the wall in right to plate Morris and put Coker up 1-0 in the top of the third.

The Cobras came through in the clutch again with two-out hitting in the fourth.  With the bases loaded, Morris collected her third hit of the day with a double to the gap in left centerfield to score Breanna Ard and Price and put the Cobras up 3-0. 

Two-out doubles in the sixth and seventh innings pushed the Cobras lead to 5-0. 

Carson-Newman made a valiant effort to rally in the seventh, but ultimately it was too little, too late for the Eagles.

Fiame reached on an error to start the inning then Cheyenne Boles (Knoxville, Tenn.) worked a pinch-hit walk.  The pair moved into scoring position on a wild pitch.  Cooper grounded out to short to plate Kazee. 

Ryan singled to short to give the Eagles a pair of base runners that Toppel cleared form  the paths thanks to a double that hugged the left field line. 

However, Carson-Newman couldn't keep the rally rolling.  A fly out and ground out ended the game. 

Webster took the loss to fall to 16-8.  She pitched 4.2 innings, gave up seven hits and allowed three runs, two of which were unearned. 

Taylor Forehand got the win for Coker.  She's 3-13 this year.  She pitched 6.1 innings and gave up three runs as well, two earned. Augusta Jackson pitched the final 0.2 innings of flawless ball.  She got the save, her first of the year. 

Carson-Newman returns to action Tuesday at Lincoln Memorial.  First pitch is set for 2 p.m.