Jefferson City, Tenn.----The Wingate University softball team split a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader at Carson-Newman College Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs won the first game 2-1, while the Eagles survived 5-4 in the nightcap.

Wingate completes the 2010 regular season 33-13 overall and 8-8 in the SAC. Carson-Newman is 33-8 overall and 11-5 in the SAC. The Bulldogs will play Mars Hill College in the first round of the Food Lion SAC tournament Thursday morning at the WU Softball Complex. First pitch is slated for 9 a.m. Wingate is hosting the 2010 Food Lion SAC tourney.

Game #1
Wingate 2, Carson-Newman 1

Wingate junior second baseman Gina Ager (Columbia, Md.) plated the winning run with two outs in the top of the seventh inning and classmate Brittany Blankenship (Midlothian, Va.) tossed a complete game to lead the Bulldogs. An All-SAC performer, Blankenship allowed one run on four hits to improve to 18-7 overall with her 19th complete game of the season.

In the pivotal seventh inning, senior third baseman Leyila Myers (Marietta, Ga.) started the frame with a double to left center. Junior utility player Jessica McCraw (Waxhaw, N.C.) entered the game to run for Myers. Two outs later, Ager contributed an RBI single to right to give the Bulldogs the victory.

Carson-Newman scored first, posting a single spot in the bottom of the fifth inning. Eagle sophomore utility player Mary Shealy (Clinton, S.C.) started the frame with a single. Junior Amber Hewitt (Ringgold, Ga.) entered the contest to run for Shealy. Hewitt moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch. She scored on an RBI single by sophomore pinch-hitter Amy Lawrence (Knoxville, Tenn.).

The Bulldogs responded immediately, tying the game 1-1 with a run in the top of the sixth inning. Ager started the stanza with a walk. Senior center fielder LaRonda McClain (Kings Mountain, N.C.) singled to move Ager to second. Senior designated player Kelsey Emig (Glenmoore, Pa.) reached on a fielder’s choice, forcing Ager.

Senior shortstop Debra Grijalva (San Jose, Calif.) followed with an RBI single to score McClain. Emig and Grijalva moved to third and second, respectively, on an error in the outfield. Carson-Newman junior pitcher Ashley Boyd (Chattanooga, Tenn.) worked out of the jam by getting the next two Bulldog batters to ground out.
Myers and McClain had two hits each for the visiting Bulldogs. Blankenship held the Eagles to four singles in 23 at-bats. She had one strikeout and one walk. Boyd (18-4 overall) took the loss for the hosts. In 6 1/3 innings, Boyd allowed two runs on five hits. The East Tennessee State University transfer struck out three and walked two.

Game #2
Carson-Newman 5, Wingate 4

The Eagles survived a furious Bulldog rally in the top of the seventh inning to earn the split. In the seventh, Wingate scored three runs on three hits. The Bulldogs did their damage with two outs in the top of the final frame.

Ager started the two-out rally with a walk. McClain singled up the middle to move Ager to second. Freshman pinch-hitter Stephanie Simmons (Hickory, N.C.) contributed a huge RBI single to center, scoring Ager and moving McClain to third. Grijalva walked to load the bases.

Wingate junior left fielder Emily Chavis (Berkeley Lake, Ga.) singled to right field, plating McClain and Simmons and moving Grijalva to third with the potential tying run. Shealy got out of the fix by inducing a ground out to end the game.

Carson-Newman sprinted to a 4-0 lead by scoring twice each in the first and third innings. In the first, Eagle senior shortstop Jessie Howard (Knoxville, Tenn.) started the inning with a triple. She scored on a ground out. The hosts added an unearned run later in the inning.

In the home half of the third, Howard led off the inning with a single. She moved to second on a sacrifice and scored on an RBI single by freshman catcher Bri Shoemake (Ooltewah, Tenn.). Shoemake moved to second on the throw. She scored on an RBI double by Boyd, who chased Wingate junior starter Allison Smith (Daleville, Va.) with the two-bagger.

The Bulldogs cut the deficit to 4-1 with a single in the top of the fourth inning. Grijalva started the frame with a single. She moved to third on an outfield error by the Eagles. Two outs later, Grijalva scored on an RBI infield single by Myers.

Carson-Newman added a run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Two walks sandwiched around a Boyd single set the stage for junior center fielder Whitney Durham (Rossville, Ga.), who plated the Eagles’ final tally with an RBI sacrifice fly.

Wingate had nine hits in the nightcap, but left seven runners on base. McClain, Chavis and Myers had two hits each for the visitors. Chavis had two RBI to bump her season total to 34, second on the Bulldog team charts. Howard and Boyd had three hits each for the Eagles. Howard had a triple, while Boyd (playing the DP position) had a double and one RBI. Carson-Newman also left seven runners stranded in game two.

Shealy pitched a complete game to improve to 12-4 overall on the season. She gave up four runs (three earned) on nine hits. She struck out seven and walked two. Smith (15-6 overall) also gave up four runs (three earned) for the Bulldogs. The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® candidate struck out four Eagle batters. Blankenship pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief. She gave up one run on three hits. She walked three Carson-Newman batters.