Mars Hill earns split with Carson-Newman
The Mars Hill (12-12, 3-7 SAC) softball team split with Carson-Newman (24-12, 6-6 SAC) on the road Wednesday afternoon, dropping game one by a score of 2-0, but rebounding with a 10-9 come-from-behind win in game two.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - The Mars Hill (12-12, 3-7 SAC) softball team split with Carson-Newman (24-12, 6-6 SAC) on the road Wednesday afternoon, dropping game one by a score of 2-0, but rebounding with a 10-9 come-from-behind win in game two.
GAME ONE: C-N 2, MHU 0
Mars Hill was shutout in game one as the Eagles' Lacie Rinus struck out 12 batters for her 15th win of the season.
Carson-Newman plated their first run in the bottom of the first inning when KaraLynne Levi doubled down the left field line, scoring Abby Fiessinger. The Eagles would add their second run of the game in the bottom of the sixth with a RBI single from Leah Sohm.
The Lions had three hits through two innings, but were unable to register their fourth until the top of the seventh.
Casey Stanek allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings, picking up her fifth loss on the season. Rinus allowed four hits and struck out 12 to earn the game one victory.
GAME TWO: MHU 10, C-N 9
Trailing 8-4 entering the seventh inning, Mars Hill rallied to score six for the come-from-behind victory to earn the split in game two.
With runners on second and third, Cassidy Allen singled up the middle to start the comeback bid for the Lions, scoring Shae Condon. With one swing of the bat, Bobbi Jones tied the game with a three-run homerun to right-centerfield that scored Ragan Broome and Allen. Kayleigh Jonas gave Mars Hill their first lead of the day later in the inning with a two-run double to left-centerfield that plated Ashley Evans and Krista Romine.
Carson-Newman got one run back in the bottom half of the inning with a solo homerun from Ashlyn Cooper. Casey Stanek, pitching 1.1 innings and striking out one after allowing the homerun, earned the win for the Lions.
Abby Fiessinger opened the scoring with a solo homerun in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. Mars Hill answered back with a RBI double in the top of the fourth as Evans drove in Jones.
The Eagles would tack on three runs over the fourth and fifth innings. Taylor Scott's RBI single in the fourth regained the Eagles' lead while a two-run double to left-centerfield in the fifth off of the bat of Morgan Crawford gave Carson-Newman a three-run advantage.
Mars Hill clawed back to tie the game in the top of the sixth. Broome scored off of a sacrifice fly from Jones followed by a RBI double from Taylor Lail. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, a wild pitch allowed Ann Marie Gooch to cross home and knot the game at four all.
Responding with four runs in the bottom half of the inning, the Eagles retook the lead, 8-4, late in the contest. Leah Sohm's RBI single up the middle was followed by a RBI groundout off of the bat of KaraLynne Levi to take a two-run lead. Lacie Rinus would extend the lead to three with a RBI triple to right-centerfield that plated Fiessinger. Katie Pritchett drove Rinus home with a RBI single into right-centerfield to give the Eagles the four run edge heading into the final inning.
Jones led Mars Hill offensively, going 2-for-3 from the plate with four RBI. Broome, Allen and Jonas each had two hits with Jonas collecting two RBI and Allen with one. Crawford paced the Eagles' offense with two RBI. Fiessinger, Rinus, Cooper and Sohm each had two hits in the second game.
Rinus allowed seven runs on seven hits in five innings, suffering the loss. Cristi Pressley started the game for the Lions, pitching 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits.
The Lions take on Lenoir-Rhyne on the road on Saturday, April 7 in a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
