ANDERSON, S.C. - The Anderson University softball team dropped both ends of a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader, 8-4 and 7-2, to visiting Carson-Newman Tuesday afternoon at Smethers Field.
Anderson slipped to 29-11 overall and 10-6 in conference action with its first home losses of the season, while Carson-Newman (30-10, 12-4 SAC) claimed sole possession of first place in the league with the sweep.
Game #1
Carson-Newman 8, Anderson 4
Freshman catcher Cailah Niles was 1-for-3 in the opener, while
driving in two runs with her 14th home run of the season. Fellow
freshman Carli Hurtado also had one of the Trojans' four hits with
a two-run triple in the fourth inning.
Freshman pitcher Chelsea Jones (11-4), the reigning SAC Pitcher of the Week, suffered the loss after allowing six runs (three earned) in 4 1/3 innings in the circle. The right-hander struck out three and issued an uncharacteristic five free passes. Sophomore Lauren Rudesheim tossed 2 2/3 innings of relief, while allowing two unearnerd runs on three hits. She struck out one and walked one.
Junior Molly Child laced a one-out double to left-center in the top of the first inning and crossed the plate on Niles' opposite-field home run over the right field fence to give AU an early 2-0 lead.
The Eagles countered to take a brief 3-2 lead in the top of the third inning, with junior Brooke Ramsey's two-run homer highlighting C-N's scoring.
The Trojans answered in the fourth frame by regaining the lead on Hurtado's first triple of the season, when the freshman pulled the ball just inside the right-field line to plate both senior Rebecca Martin and sophomore Courtney Czentnar.
But Carson-Newman scored five runs over the next two innings to
claim an 8-4 advantage and the Trojans were retired in order in the
final three frames.
Game #2
Carson-Newman 7, Anderson 2
With a third-inning single up the middle, senior Jessica Neidigh
took over the top spot in the league with 306 career base hits,
surpassing former Carson-Newman standout Carol Zachary (1988-91).
Child added a single and a walk, while driving in a run and scoring
once. Niles and Czentnar posted a double and a single,
respectively, to account for AU's other two base hits.
Jones surrendered two earned runs in 1/3 of an inning in the nightcap, while allowing a pair of solo home runs. Rudesheim (11-6) absorbed the setback after surrendering five runs (three earned) on nine hits over 6 2/3 innings. She struck out four and walked just two.
Carson-Newman's Haley Taylor and Elayna Siebert opened the nightcap by sandwiching solo home runs around a line drive out and Carson-Newman never trailed en route to the five-run victory.
After the Eagles added another run in the top of the second inning, AU climbed back within 3-2 when Neidigh and Child ripped back-to-back one-out singles. Neidigh moved into scoring position on a passed ball and went to third when the C-N defense tried to throw her out. She crossed the plate when Child's hit dropped inside the right-field line. Child went to third on Niles' double and scored on Jones' ground out.
But the Trojan bats then went silent, as AU managed just one hit and five base runners over the final four innings, while Carson-Newman posted a solo run in each of the last four frames to claim the 7-2 win and snap a six-game skid at the hands of the Trojans.
Anderson will look to get back in the win column on Saturday,
when the Trojans travel to Queens for their final regular-season
road trip of the year. First-pitch in Charlotte is set for 1
p.m.
