Sunday, April 24, 2005
2005 Food Lion SAC Softball Tournament Finals
Carson-Newman Wins Seventh SAC Title
ROCK
HILL, SC – The
Carson-Newman Eagles, ranked 18th in the latest NCAA Division
II poll won the 2005 Food Lion South Atlantic Softball
Tournament this afternoon with a 5-3 victory over the
Presbyterian College Blue Hose in the elimination game of the
championship round this afternoon at Cherry Park.
It was the seventh time the Eagles have won the SAC
Tournament.
Carson-Newman
improved to 39-9 and will advance to the NCAA Regionals
earning the automatic bid for winning the conference
tournament. PC fell to 35-22 on the year with the loss.
After
losing the coin toss to determine home field advantage, the
Eagles scored three runs in their first at bat to take a 3-0
lead in the top of the first inning.
Lauren McKaig (Trenton, GA) singled to right-center field to score LeAndrea
Johnson (Chattanooga, TN).
Johnson reached base by starting the contest off with a
single up the middle. McKaig
and Lisa Rogers
(Rossville, GA) scored the other two runs in the inning on a
Blue Hose error. All
three of the runs came with two outs and two of the three
scores were unearned.
C-N
added a single run in the top of the third inning when Whitney
Hickam (Knoxville, TN) advanced home on a Blue Hose miscue
to give the Eagles a 4-0 lead.
The run came with two outs on the scoreboard and was
the third unearned run of the contest. Hickam reached base on
a walk and then scored from first on the error.
The
Eagles added an insurance run in the top of the fifth inning
after Mandy Stevens
(Knoxville, TN) singled down the left field line to plate
Hickam. The run gave C-N a 5-0 lead.
PC
scored all three of their runs in the last frame to make the
final tally 5-3. Kellyn
Henderson (Simpsonville, SC) singled to center field to
score Lindsay Wismer (Sarasota, FL) and then Whitney Hannon (Greer, SC) singled to right field to drive in Jessica
Kilpatrick (Hendersonville, NC) and Henderson.
Megan
Elliott (Chattanooga,
TN) threw a complete game for the Eagles scattering eight hits
to lift her season record to 36-8.
Hickam led the Eagles at the plate going 1-for-3 with
three runs scored. McKaig went 1-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI.
Hannon
was 1-for-4 with two RBI to lead PC.
Henderson went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Jean Smith
(Tampa, FL) took the loss (9-5) for the Blue Hose on the
mound.