Carson-Newman, Lenoir-Rhyne, Lincoln Memorial, Wingate Win In Food Lion SAC Softball Tournament
NEWBERRY, S.C. - The top-seeded Carson-Newman College Lady Eagles shut out the eighth-seeded Tusculum College Pioneers, 4-0, to wrap up the first round of the 2008 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament at the Newberry Softball Field on Thursday.
Carson-Newman (45-6) was paced by Zoe Heim's three hit, nine strikeout complete game. Heim runs her record to 27-5 on the season.
Tusculum (19-23) was unable to collect an extra base hit in the game. Ashley Whitehead (5-9) picked up the loss for the Pioneers, allowing four runs - two earned - on six hits and three walks in 4.1 innings.
The teams were deadlocked through three and a half innings, but the Lady Eagles jumped ahead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Jessie Kuhlman led the frame off with a hard-hit triple to centerfield, which Whitney Hickam followed by beating out an infield single. Sara Little drove Kuhlman in with a single through the right side and an Amber Palmer single to left plated Hickam. Little rounded out the scoring in the frame when she reached home after a fielding error by the TC first baseman.
Jessie Howard added the final run in the bottom of the fifth using aggressive baserunning and taking advantage of Tusculum errors. After drawing a walk, Howard stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball and proceed to score on a fielding error by teh catcher to provide the final 4-0 score line.
The Lady Eagles progress in the winners' bracket to take on fourth-seeded Lincoln Memorial at 11:45 a.m. Friday at Newberry College. Tusculum will take on fifth-seeded Mars Hill in an elimination game at the same time at Newberry High School.
Carson-Newman 4, Tusculum 0
Apr 17, 2008 at Newberry, S.C.
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Tusculum............ 000 000 0 - 0 3 3 (19-23)
Carson-Newman....... 000 310 X - 4 6 2 (45-6)
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Pitchers: Tusculum - Ashley Whitehead; Megan DuBois(5).
Carson-Newman - Heim.
Win-Heim(27-5) Loss-Ashley Whitehead(5-9) T-1:30 A-227
No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne 8, No. 7 Newberry 0
NEWBERRY, S.C. - The second-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne College Bears put together a seven-run fourth inning en route to an 8-0 victory over the seventh-seeded Newberry College Lady Indians in the first round of the 2008 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament at the Newberry Softball Complex on Thursday.
Lenoir-Rhyne (42-10) was led by a powerful pitching performance from Meredith O'Connor (30-7) who picked up her 30th win of the season by striking out nine and allowing no hits in the five-inning game.
Newberry drops to 19-24 overall and will play sixth-seeded Catawba in the consolation bracket at Newberry High School on Friday at 9:30 a.m. Kristen Hicks (7-6) was tagged with the loss, allowing all eight runs - none of which were earned - on seven hits in 3.1 innings.
Despite being no-hit, the Lady Indians had the majority of the scoring chances in the first two innings, as O'Connor but five runners on base via walks with one out. However, she was able to end the innings with strikeouts both times, as Newberry stranded two runners in the first and left bases loaded in the second.
Lauren Johnson's RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the second brought home Kat Rivers for what turned out to be the only run the Bears would need.
Lenoir-Rhyne sent 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth, as a pair of Newberry errors assisted the Bears' rally. Noel Belk, Karie Pushard, Taylor Queen, Rivers and Leah Krohn all recorded RBIs in the frame.
With the win, Lenoir-Rhyne advances in the winners' bracket, where the Bears will meet up with third-seeded Wingate at Newberry College on Friday at 9:30 a.m.
Lenoir-Rhyne 8, Newberry 0
Apr 17, 2008 at Newberry, S.C.
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Newberry............ 000 00 - 0 0 3 (19-24)
Lenoir-Rhyne........ 010 7X - 8 7 0 (42-10)
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Pitchers: Newberry - Kristen Hicks; Jesse Groves(4). Lenoir-Rhyne -
M. O'Connor.
Win-M. O'Connor(30-7) Loss-Kristen Hicks(7-6) T-1:20 A-375
No. 4 Lincoln Memorial 3, No. 5 Mars Hill 2
NEWBERRY, S.C. - Lincoln Memorial University scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Lady Railsplitters came from behind to defeat Mars Hill College, 3-2, in the first game of the 2008 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Championships Thursday morning.
The Lions of Mars Hill got on the board early as they scored two runs in the top of the first inning. Kristina Osborne hit a triple down the right field line to score Ashley angel and Natalie Haithcox followed with an RBI double down the left field line to score Osborne.
Pitcher Jessica Locker got one of the runs back herself with a solo home run to left center in the bottom of the third inning. The homerun was Locker's fourth of the season and it made the score 2-1 in favor of the Lions.
The Lady Railsplitters dealt the final blows to the Lions in the bottom of the fifth with RBI singles by sophomore Sara Henn and senior Alisa Burk with the bases loaded.
Locker was dominant after the first inning allowing just three hits and no runs in the final six innings of the game. The sophomore struck out six Mars hill batters on the way to her 12th win of the season.
Lincoln Memorial now advances to face the winner of the game between No. 1 seeded Carson-Newman College and No. 8 seeded Tusculum College. The game is scheduled to begin at 11:45 tomorrow, April 18 at Newberry College.
Mars Hill will next face the loser of the game between Carson-Newman and Tusculum tomorrow at 11:45 at Newberry High School.
Lincoln Memorial 3, Mars Hill 2 (Apr 17, 2008 at Newberry S.C.) (Game 1)
Mars Hill........... 200 000 0 - 2 5 1
Lincoln Memorial.... 001 020 X - 3 5 0
Win-Jessica Locker (12-3) Loss-Tiffany Farthing(15-6)
HR: LMU: Jessica Locker (4)
T-1:35
No. 3 Wingate 5, No. 6 Catawba 0
NEWBERRY, S.C. - Third-seeded Wingate University shut out sixth-seeded Catawba College in the first round of the 2008 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament at the Newberry College Softball Field on Thursday.
Wingate (30-15) was led by Emily Chavis' 2-for-2 day at the plate, as she collected three RBIs. Courtney Wagner drove in the Bulldogs' other two runs, while Brittany Blankenship (19-9) held the Catawba Indians to four hits and struck out seven batters on the day.
Catawba (24-24) saw Sarah VanBuskirk hit a double, but Wingate's four-run bottom of the fifth proved to be the Catawba Indians' undoing.
Chavis put the Bulldogs on the board in the bottom of the second with a deep homerun to right-center field. The blast was her fourth of the season and put Wingate up 1-0.
Wingate put the game away in the bottom of the fifth, as both Wagner and Chavis collected two-run doubles. Meghan Cobb (14-14) was tagged with the loss, allowing five earned runs on nine hits in six innings of work.
Both teams will play at 9:30 a.m. Friday, with the Bulldogs in the winners' bracket at Newberry College and Catawba playing in the consolation bracket at Newberry High School.
Wingate 5, Catawba 0
Apr 17, 2008 at Newberry, S.C.
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Catawba............. 000 000 0 - 0 4 1 (24-24)
Wingate............. 010 040 X - 5 9 1 (30-15)
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Pitchers: Catawba - M.Cobb. Wingate - Blankenship.
Win-Blankenship(19-9) Loss-M.Cobb(14-14) T-1:40 A-115
HR WU - Emily Chavis.