Early season rematch on tap for C-N as it travels to Converse for midweek meeting
Carson-Newman (13-1) begins the final week of February on the road tomorrow at Converse (2-14), starting at 2 p.m. in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
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4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 0 |
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1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 0 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
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6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 19 | 0 |
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0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 3 |
VIDEO: In The Booth at Converse (Game 1)
VIDEO: In The Booth at Converse (Game 2)
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (13-1) begins the final week of February on the road tomorrow at Converse (2-14), starting at 2 p.m. in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
These two schools first met at the Big Region Preseason Preview Invitational in Johnson City. The Eagles took that meeting 6-0, powered by the first career home run by Sarah Walker (Mills River, N.C.), and she also made her first start in the circle. Walker finished the day with 5.1 innings and one strikeout and added two RBIs on a 2-for-2 day. It marked the first shutout of the season for the Eagles.
Over the weekend, C-N defeated King on Saturday, 7-1 and 6-2, for the first two games at home this season. Michael Graves' squad followed it up with a Sunday Sweep of Barton, 11-0 in five innings and 7-6, thanks to an Addie Saunders (Radford, Va.) walk-off single. The 4-0 weekend at home extended the Eagles' winning streak to eight consecutive games, matching last year's longest streak.
Senior Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) hit her 50th career home run in game one against Barton. While fellow senior, Grace Gregory (White House, Tenn.) hit her first home run in a Carson-Newman uniform against King. In addition to the long ball, Saunders enjoyed a stellar weekend offensively. The sophomore went 8-for-12 in the four games, racking up five RBIs, including her walk-off single to close out Sunday. She now has an RBI in the last five games.
"I was visualizing what I needed to do and the pitch that I was going to drive, and thankfully, I was able to do that," Saunders said. "I think I'm seeing the ball better and trusting my hands getting through the ball."
The Eagles now boast five hitters batting above .400 this season. Abbi Marti (Gadsden, Ala.) is hitting .459 and leads the team with 19 runs scored, a .532 on-base percentage and nine stolen bases.
Bailey sits just behind her with an average of .442, and has a team-best with 19 hits, two home runs and 21 RBIs.
Following her impressive weekend, Saunders has bumped her average to .436 with a .511 on-base percentage. She is tied with Martin with a team-high two triples and holds seven RBIs this season.
A freshman who has been on an absolute tear as of late is Anne Marie Richards (Spring Hill, Tenn.). The catcher is riding a six-game hitting streak, where she gone 11-for-21 at the plate, notching 11 RBIs, including her first career home run, a grand slam at Shorter. She sits fourth on the team with a .419 average and is third with 14 RBIs.
One of the surprises for C-N has been the emergence of sophomore outfielder Katey Mathena (Blacksburg, Va.). She is hitting .400 this season and has been a tough out, getting on base at a .500 clip. With the bases loaded against Barton, she laced a bases-clearing triple, pushing her season total up to four.
Speaking of the number four, the Eagles' pitching staff notched four consecutive complete games from game two against Shorter to the first contest against Barton. Emma Romeka (San Diego, Calif.) had two of them as the freshman continues to headline alongside fellow freshman Atiana Stamper (Knoxville, Tenn.). Sophomore Lorelei Spradlin (Blacksburg, Va.) had a bounce-back outing against the Bulldogs on Sunday, striking out five and allowing three hits in an 11-0 win.
Under the guidance of pitching coach Holly Tucker-Vance, C-N sits at 2.59 ERA, holding opponents to a .274 batting average.
Converse enters Tuesday on the heels of a 15-7 win over Fayetteville State on Sunday, 15-7 in five innings to close out the Converse Round Robin. The victory snapped a 13-game losing skid dating back to February 8th.
Over the course of the event, the Valkyries faced Mars Hill from the South Atlantic Conference, falling to the Lions 9-2 on Saturday and 12-3 on Sunday.
Offensively for Converse, they have four hitters with an average above .300. Tyler Karabach leads all with a .442 average, with Aubree Leonard behind her at .419, in addition to her two home runs and 12 RBIs. Kiarra Thomas leads the team with four long balls this year, totaling 11 RBIs. While Alexis Felker paces Converse with 14 RBIs on three home runs and is batting .308.
Pitching has been a struggle for the Valkyries this season. As a staff, they have an 8.13 ERA. Gracee Stucki has been in the circle for both wins this season. She has a team-best 5.64 ERA in 12 appearances across 49.2 innings.
This marks the fourth consecutive meeting with a Conference Carolinas team for Carson-Newman. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both games can be heard on cneagles.com/live, or fans can watch YouTube with a live look at the broadcast crew on press row.
