Carson-Newman Sweeps Softball; Hockaday Drives in Nine Runs
The Mars Hill softball team was swept by Carson-Newman on Wednesday, dropping the first game, 12-11 in 10 innings and the second game, 14-13. Jamie Hockaday went six-for-eight with nine RBIs on the afternoon.
JEFFERSON CITY, TENN. - The Mars Hill softball team was swept by Carson-Newman on Wednesday, dropping the first game 12-11 in 10 innings and 14-13 in a game two slugfest. Jamie Hockaday went six-for-eight with nine RBIs on the afternoon. Mars Hill drops to 14-12 on the season and 2-6 in South Atlantic Conference play while Carson-Newman improves to 26-8 and 5-3 in the league.
Game 1: Carson-Newman 12, Mars Hill 11 (10 innings)
Caitlyn Lance's single in the 10th inning scored Sarah Kelley as Carson-Newman earned a 12-11 come-from-behind victory in the first game. The Lions set a new school record with 43 at-bats.
Mars Hill scored a pair of runs in the first inning as Cori Dew reached on a one-out walk and scored on a two-run home run by Jamie Hockaday. In the Mars Hill second, Brittany Gibson reached on an error to start the inning and scored on an Erin Vickery single. Following a fielder's choice and a walk, Dew welcomed Eagle reliever Kayln Davis to the game with an RBI single for a 4-0 Mars Hill lead.
Carson-Newman got on the board in the third inning on an RBI single by Cassie Lyons that plated Kelli Hensley. Hockaday answered for the Lions in the fourth with a two-run single, scoring Kyara Porche and Shaundee Woosley for a 6-1 Mars Hill advantage.
The Eagles scored four runs in the fourth on RBI singles by Audrey Woodby, Jessica Morgan and Hensley, as well as a Lyons sacrifice fly. Woodby's two-run double with two outs in the fifth inning brought home two runs as the Eagles took a 7-6 lead.
In the Lion sixth inning, Woosley led off with a single, followed by a Dew double to put runners in scoring position with no outs. Davis got Robyn Stanek to groundout before Hockaday drove in her fifth run of the game with a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Peek put the Lions ahead with a single to right field, scoring Dew.
A three-run seventh inning gave Mars Hill a bit of breathing room. After a flyout to start the inning, Vickery reached on a single, followed by an Eagle error that allowed Porche to reach. Woosley doubled to left-center, scoring Lauren Saller who ran for Vickery. Robyn Stanek brought home Porche and Woosley with a two-run single.
Carson-Newman tied the game with four runs in the seventh inning, beginning the frame with a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs. A hit by pitch and a wild pitch pulled the Eagles to within two runs before a Hayley Taylor two-run single tied the game. Shelby Culler got a strikeout, popout and flyout to strand Taylor at first and send the contest to extra innings.
After the Lions were unable to push the go-ahead run across in the top half of the eighth, Sarah Kelley was placed at second base due to the Intentional Tiebreaker rule and was replaced by pinch runner Jeanie Perrucci. Brittany Heffner singled to advance Perrucci to third, with Caitlyn Lance reaching after being hit by a pitch to load the bases. Culler got Bridget Bass and Elayna Siebert to foul out before getting Woodby to ground out to end the inning.
Mars Hill had the winning run at third base with one out in the ninth but a groundout and flyout ended the inning. After a fielder's choice, Culler allowed a single to Hensley but struck out Lyons in an 11 pitch at-bat and got out of the inning as Sarah Kelley flew out.
The Lions had the bases loaded with one out in the 10th after a Dew sacrifice bunt moved Woosley from second to third, but a fielder's choice retired Woosley at the plate and a groundout ended the inning. Carson-Newman scored the winning run on a Lance single that plated Kelley.
Hockaday went two-for-four with a single, home run and five RBIs, while Woosley went three-for-five with two singles, a double, three runs scored and an RBI. Peek went three-for-six with two singles and a double. Dew went two-for-four with a single, double, two runs scored and an RBI. Stanek went one-for-four with two RBIs. Porche scored three runs in the contest. Peek and Jamie Booze set a new single-game record with six at-bats.
Davis earned her 12th win of the season, allowing seven runs, four earned, on 10 hits with three walks and four strikeouts in 8.2 innings. Culler took the loss, allowing an unearned run on three hits with one walk and strikeouts in three innings.
Game 2: Carson-Newman 14, Mars Hill 13
A three-run sixth inning erased a 12-11 deficit as Carson-Newman held on for a 14-13 win to complete the sweep. Mars Hill had 17 hits in the nightcap, one short of tying the school record.
After a scoreless first inning, the Lions and Eagles combined for eight runs in the second inning. Brittany Gibson's two-run double scored Jamie Booze and Aleshia Peek, with a Lauren Saller sacrifice fly plating Gibson. Carson-Newman scored five runs on a bases-loaded walk and a pair of two-run singles.
Robyn Stanek reached on a one-out single and scored on a Jamie Hockaday double to pull Mars Hill within a run, 5-4, in the third inning. Carson-Newman scored four runs in the home half on a pair of singles and a Mars Hill error.
The Lions scored four runs in the fourth inning as an Erin Vickery single, a Carson-Newman error and a Saller single loaded the bases for Shaundee Woosley. Woosley singled up to bring home Vickery, followed by a base hit from Cori Dew that scored Gibson. Hockaday added an RBI with a single that scored Saller, with Woosley following her home thanks to an Eagle miscue.
Carson-Newman put two runs on the board in the fourth with a Brittany Hefner solo home run and an Elayna Siebert triple.
Mars Hill pulled ahead with four runs in the sixth inning. Saller began the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a one-out Dew single. After Stanek singled to load the bases, Hockaday drove in a pair of runs with a base hit to left field. An Aleshia Peek single brought home Stanek to tie the game at 11, with a fielder's choice allowing Hockaday to give Mars Hill a 12-11 lead.
Carson-Newman tied it at 12-all on a single by Audry Woodby and took the lead on an infield single by Jessica Morgan. Cassie Lyons brought home Woodby with what proved to be the game-winning run on a one-out single.
The Lions cut the lead to a run thanks to a leadoff home run by Vickery. Following a lineout and a strikeout, Cori Dew singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch before a flyout ended the game.
Hockaday went four-for-four with three singles, a double, a run scored and four RBIs. Dew was three-for-five with three singles and a run scored. Gibson was two-for-three with a single, double, two runs scored and two RBIs. Saller was two-for-three with a single, double, two runs scored and a RBI. Stanek was two-for-five with two singles and two runs scored. Vickery was one-for-three with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs. Every Mars Hill batter had at least one hit and scored at least one run.
Sarah Howard improves to 12-5 on the year, allowing nine runs, six earned, on 12 hits with one walk and two strikeouts in five innings. Taylor Hussey falls to 5-5, she allowed five runs on nine hits with four walks in 3.1 innings.
The Lions and Eagles combined for 40 runs and 63 hits in 17 innings of action
Mars Hill continues conference play on Saturday at Coker.