BREVARD, N.C. - A seventh-inning comeback attempt in the second game of a softball doubleheader against Carson-Newman fell short on Tuesday afternoon as Brevard fell to the Eagles by scores of 4-0 and 4-2.
The Tornados (11-23, 1-7 SAC) placed the tying run 120 feet away with one out in the seventh and the third and fourth spots in the order due up after a hit batsman, an infield single, and a sacrifice bunt. Carson-Newman's (20-12, 6-2 SAC) Allison Webster, laboring through her 14th inning of the afternoon, retired Kinsey Parrish on a swinging strikeout when the Brevard shortstop couldn't catch up to an outside fastball.
Paige Atkison represented the last hope for the Tornados. With the count even at 1-1, Atkison scorched Webster's offering to right field. But the Eagles' Talisa Fiame was perfectly positioned, spearing the potential game-tying line drive to preserve Carson-Newman's tenuous two-run advantage.
The Eagles obtained the lead in their turn at the plate in the sixth. They had halved Brevard's advantage an inning earlier with an unearned run, then put two runners on with one out for Webster. The Eagles' hurler helped her own cause, lifting an 0-1 Hrobak offering over the fence in left field for her first career home run.
Brevard had scored both of its runs in the third inning, pounding out three hits and taking advantage of Carson-Newman's third error of the contest. Hrobak and Miller's singles sandwiched around a Lauren Parker sacrifice bunt put runners on the corners for Parrish. She hit a rocket to the shortstop that resulted in a fielder's choice and a throwing error, giving the Tornados their first run of the game and placing two in scoring position. Atkison's single to center moments later extended the lead to 2-0.
Hrobak was saddled with both losses despite pitching exceptionally well on the afternoon. She located 74.8 percent of her 222 pitches in the strike zone, finishing with 11 strikeouts and one walk in 13.0 innings.
Carson-Newman won the first game by a 4-0 count, tacking on a pair of cosmetic insurance runs in the seventh off reliever Ricki Kuhn. The Eagles took the lead with an unearned run in the second inning, then got a solo home run from first baseman Lindsay Dean in the sixth.
Seven Eagles combined for eight hits in the contest, with only second baseman Elayna Siebert tallying multiple hits on the afternoon. Webster was masterful in her three-hit Game One victory, striking out nine Tornados with one walk. She allowed just three hits, including one through the first five innings, lowering her ERA to 2.61 in the contest.
The Tornados return to action on Wednesday with a nonconference doubleheader in Cleveland, Tennessee against Lee. First pitch is slated for 2:00 p.m.
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