Greeneville, Tenn.----The fifth-seeded Carson-Newman University Eagles scored three runs in the first inning and three more in the seventh Friday afternoon, prevailing 7-3 over the fourth-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs in the opening round of the 2021 South Atlantic Conference softball tournament. The Eagles improve to 22-11 overall, advancing to Saturday's semifinals, while the Bulldogs are eliminated from the tournament, falling to 21-18 on the season.

KEY STATS

- Carson-Newman out-hit Wingate 10-8
- The Eagles had two of the three extra-base hits and the lone homer
- The 'Dogs left 11 on base; Carson-Newman stranded eight
- Wingate committed the only two errors in the contest
- CN pitching had five strikeouts and three walks; WU had three strikeouts and a walk

KEY BULLDOGS

- Heaven Maness, Raelynn Kramer and Sara Stroud each had a hit and an RBI
- Haley Cashwell was three-for-four with a run scored
- Sam Hogan added a double and a run scored
- Hannah Reeves also scored a run for the Bulldogs

FIRST INNING

- A Katie Eakes two-run homer highlighted Carson-Newman's three-run first

SECOND INNING

- Reeves was hit by a pitch, then moved to second on a Gracyn Polk single
- Stroud's RBI single plated Reeves to get Wingate on the board

THIRD INNING

- A Haley Caldwell sacrifice fly put the Eagles back on top by three
- Hogan lined a one-out double to right center in the bottom of the inning
- She scored on Kramer's RBI single to make it 4-2

SIXTH INNING

- Cashwell started a one-out rally with a single
- She moved to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a Maness sacrifice fly to make it 4-3

SEVENTH INNING

- Caldwell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to put CN back on top by two
- A Makayla McCarthy two-run single put the Eagles on top by four

WRAPUP

- Lacie Rinus got the win, allowing three runs on eight hits in seven innings, striking out five and walking three
- Aubrey Reep took the loss, allowing four earned runs on nine hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out two