Softball Eliminated From SAC Tournament With Two Friday Loses

GREENEVILLE, TN -- Catawba had its stay at the 2012 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament end with a pair of loses on Friday at Edmonds Field.  After falling to Anderson 7-4 in the morning, the second-seeded Catawba Indians were eliminated by Carson-Newman 3-2 Friday night.  The Lady Indians fall to 33-17 and now must wait and see if they will earn an at-large berth in the NCAA II Regional Tournament.

In the morning game, third-seeded Anderson struck for four runs in the top of the second and never trailed.  After an out, five straight Trojans reached base with Bri Cason and Charlotte Sieber collecting back-to-back two-run doubles. 

Catawba got a run back in the fourth on a pop up sacrifice fly by Sydney Hyder (Asheboro, NC/SW Randolph HS) and scored two more in the fifth on a RBI double by Alli Justice (Bishopville, MD/Decatur HS) and a wild pitch to close within 5-3.  Anderson answered in the sixth with a pair of unearned runs to go on top 7-3.

The Lady Indians were able to push across a run in the sixth.  After a double play, Catawba strung together three consecutive hits to score on a single by Amanda Terry (Cordova, NC/Richmond Senior HS).  That was as close as the Lady Indians would get as they stranded two runners in the sixth and two more in the seventh.

Terry had three hits for Catawba, while Justice and Hyder each had two.  Brittany Murray (Asheboro, NC/E. Randolph HS) allowed one earned run off four hits in five and two-thirds innings of relief.  She fanned three.

Amber Duncan went the distance for Anderson, surrendering four runs off nine hits.  She walked five and struck out six while improving to 22-8.  Laura Jansky had two of the Trojans eight hits.

The Lady Indians suffered a heartbreaking loss in the night contest to the fourth-seeded Lady Eagles.  Down 3-2 in the seventh, Catawba got hits from Justice and Tara Gibbs (Waynesville, NC/Tuscola HS) to start the frame to put the winning run at second base with no out.  Pinch-runner Kim Fesperman (Kannapolis, NC/S. Rowan HS) was called out at third for leaving early for the first out before a single by Kelsey Burgess (Charlotte, NC/Gaston Christian HS/N. Greenville) put runners on the corners.  Mary Shealy was able to get two ground outs from there to thwart the Catawba rally.

Carson-Newman had taken the lead in the sixth on a two-run home run by Caitlyn Lance.  Lauren Lewis (Concord, NC/N. Mecklenburg HS) had twice given Catawba leads with RBI singles in the second and fourth innings.  Terry, Justice, Gibbs and Lewis all had two hits for the Lady Indians.  Bri Shoemate had two hits and scored twice for Carson-Newman.

Murray allowed just six hits in taking the loss.  She walked one and struck out three as the senior fell to 16-10.  Shealy scattered 10 hits and walked four, but stranded 11 Catawba runners as she upped her record to 33-21.

Anderson Box

Carson-Newman Box