WISE, Va. – On a beautiful early spring day, UVa-Wise softball earned a non-conference 8-3 home win over visiting Carson-Newman University after falling 5-0 in game one of the doubleheader.
 
The Cavaliers (8-7) used a six-run opening inning in game two to jump out early on the Eagles (12-6). The two teams combined for 26 hits in the second game of the afternoon as three different Cavs hit homers.
 
Carson-Newman got on the board first after a RBI single up the middle by Lindsay Dean brought Kristen Toppel across home in the top of the first inning. UVa-Wise made six hits in the bottom of the opening inning and scored six times to take a 6-1 lead on the Eagles.
 
Senior shortstop Erika McLaughlin (Haymarket, Va.) nailed her first home run of the season when she cleared the center field wall for a three-run homer, allowing senior designated player Mindy Combs (Lebanon, Va.) and senior second baseman Alexa Hernandez (Woodbridge, Va.) to score. She would not be the last Cav to hit a homer in the inning as freshman right-handed pitcher Delany Turner (Leesburg, Va.) homered over the center field wall for her first home run in an UVa-Wise uniform. The Cavs would then tack on two more runs in the inning when freshman left fielder Shannon Bennett (Covington, Va.) and freshman center fielder Ava Hockey (Virginia Beach, Va.) scored off of fielding error by Carson-Newman's Talisa Fiame.
 
The Cavs built their lead to six at 7-1 in the bottom of the third after sophomore right fielder Zoe Millard (Glen Allen, Va.) singled up the middle for a RBI as Hockey came home from second base.
 
The Eagles began to mount a comeback in the top of the fifth when Fiame singled through the left side with bases loaded, scoring Elayna Siebert. With two outs already recorded, the Cavs were able to get out of the top half of the inning when the Eagles' Cheyenne Boles lined out to Hernandez.
 
Carson-Newman once again loaded the bases in the top of the sixth and only had one out, but redshirt-sophomore right-handed pitcher Taylor Brandts (King George, Va.) came out of the bullpen for the Cavs and recorded two straight outs off of a line out to left field and a fielder's choice to third base.
 
A solo home run by sophomore third baseman Samantha Ely (Jonesville, Va.), her first of the season, added an insurance run for UVa-Wise in the bottom of the sixth, making it a 8-2 game.
 
The Eagles began the seventh with a Katie Pritchett solo home run over the center field wall, but that would be it for Carson-Newman as the Cavs only gave up one hit in the inning.
 
Turner (3-1) got the win for UVa-Wise in five and one third innings of work, while Brandts collected her first save of the year. Carson-Newman's Danielle Kranz (1-2) took the loss of the Eagles, pitching in only the first inning of the game.
 
The Cavs were led by McLaughlin and Combs, who each went 3-for-4 in the game as McLaughlin also had three RBI.
 
The earlier game of the afternoon saw much less offense from the Cavs as Carson-Newman right-handed pitcher Allison Webster struck out a school single-game record 16 batters. Webster's record performance in the circle was a near no hitter as a double to left field in the bottom of the sixth by Ely was the only hit the Cavs recorded in the contest.
 
The Eagles took a 2-0 lead on the Cavs in the first inning after a two-run homer over the left center field wall by Siebert that brought in Shon Jordan. Carson-Newman tacked another run in the second when Toppel doubled to right field for Webster to score.
 
The final two Carson-Newman runs came in the fifth and sixth innings. A Boles RBI single down the left field line allowed Alex Kazee to score in the top of the fifth, before a Kazee RBI single up the middle brought Jordan across home plate for her second run of the game.
 
Going the distance in the circle, Webster improved her record to 6-4 with the 5-0 shutout win. Junior right-handed pitcher Emily Kale (Shelby, N.C.) took the loss for the Cavs in four and one third innings, dropping her record to 3-4 on the season.
 
Siebert led the Eagles at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and the home run.
 
The Cavs will remain at home and welcome King University to Cavalier Field Thursday for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Visit uvawisecavs.com for all Cavalier softball news, statistics, complete schedule and more.