Abbi Martin’s walk-off closes out an unblemished weekend for No. 21 Carson-Newman in Raleigh
RALEIGH, N.C. – When her team needed her the most, senior Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) was there to deliver in the clutch moments.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
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7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Final (8) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
RALEIGH, N.C. – When her team needed her the most, senior Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) was there to deliver in the clutch moments.
After going 0-for-13 at the plate following the opening contest on Saturday, Martin closed the book on the weekend, going 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs, including the walk-off base hit in No. 21 Carson-Newman's (19-2) extra-innings win over Indiana (Pa.), 3-2. The centerfielder drove in the contest's first run back in the sixth inning.
"The whole team, they believe in you every time you step in the box like you're batting 1.000," Martin said. "So having them behind your back, they had no doubts in their minds that whoever's at the plate is going to get the job done, and we were all just ready to go eat some Cane's."
Freshman right-hander Atiana Stamper (Knoxville, Tenn.) was feasting in the win over the Crimson Hawks. She finished the game with 12 strikeouts, becoming the first Eagle since Lacie Rinus notched 12 against Coker on March 4th in 2021. It's the most strikeouts for a C-N pitcher since Emma Frost had 10 against UNC Pembroke on March 2nd, 2024.
In the first contest of the day, the Eagles blitzed Bluefield State with seven runs in the first inning, setting the tone for a 9-0 run-rule victory.
"I thought we came out with better approaches, had a lot more energy, our swings were better, we had something behind our swings, which is something I've been harping on, so glad to see that," head coach Michael Graves said. "Again, defense was stellar, and pitching was great, so a lot to be pleased about."
Carson-Newman 9, Bluefield State 0 (5 Innings)
With a 9:48 a.m. first pitch to get the day started, Carson-Newman jumped in front with an exclamation point. Malyiah Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.) reached on a bunt and then Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) worked a walk before Grace Gregory (White House, Tenn.) put a charge into one for a three-run homer, 3-0. It was Gregory's second home run of the season.
Later in the first, the bases were loaded following a Katey Mathena (Blacksburg, Va.) hit by a pitch and a Shelby Armstrong (Knoxville, Tenn.) walk. With two outs, Reese Winchester (San Diego, Calif.) hoisted one to left that was dropped, allowing Mathena and Addie Saunders (Radford, Va.) to score. Then, it turned back to the top of the order with Smith, who drove one up the middle to plate Armstrong and Winchester, 7-0.
After a pair of scoreless innings from Lorelei Spradlin (Blacksburg, Va.), C-N added two more in the third.
A base hit from Mathena put her on with one out before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Then Armstrong came through going backside with a double to the right field corner, as Mathena raced home. After a fly out moved Armstrong another 60 feet, Smith tallied her third RBI of the game with a base hit through the left side, 9-0.
That was all the offense the Eagles needed as Spradlin, Riley Sikes (Powell, Tenn.) and Regan Rowan (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) combined for a shutout.
Rowan was the story of the day as the sophomore made her collegiate debut. The first batter she faced, she sent back to the dugout by way of the K. She added another strikeout to bookend the fourth. Then in the fifth, she struck out the last two to close things out, finishing with four strikeouts in her first two innings in the circle.
"She's been dealing with a back injury; we've been kind of nursing her this year, too. It flares up a lot, but she was feeling pretty good today, so we got her in the game," Graves said. "Then, wow, look at what she did."
Carson-Newman 3, Indiana (Pa.) 2 (8 Innings)
The story of the second game made itself quite clear early in the contest. It was going to be and was a pitching duel between Atiana Stamper and Taylor Bumgardner from IUP.
The two pitchers were nearly identical through the first five innings. Both had allowed just two hits and erased any sort of momentum from the other side. Stamper held a slight edge in the strikeout department, six to five.
However, the scoreless battle was finally broken in the bottom of the sixth. It started with a single from Reese Winchester, after a sacrifice bunt from Malyiah Smith, Winchester moved into scoring position. Then it was Abbi Martin's turn to come up clutch with a single to right field, breaking the ice, 1-0.
Then the next batter, Macauley Bailey, ripped a ground-rule double in the left-centerfield gap and scored Martin, 2-0.
The Crimson Hawks were not going to go down without a fight and found the equalizer two batters into the seventh. A single from Madi Pikula set the table for All-Region designated player Delaney Patella, launching a two-run shot to left to tie it up, 2-2.
IUP was looking for more as Regan Rand reached on a walk and advanced to third on an error by Stamper. With two in scoring position and one gone, Stamper buckled down with back-to-back strikeouts, giving the Eagles a chance to walk it off. However, a 1-2-3 inning sent it to extra innings.
After a sacrifice bunt put Brianna Pusateri over at third, Stamper recorded consecutive punch outs to leave the go-ahead run 60 feet away for the second straight inning.
In the bottom half, the Eagles followed suit with a bunt to put Shelby Armstrong at third. However, a fielder's choice from Smith saw Armstrong get tagged out at home. With two outs, Smith made her move and stole second. In a 1-2 count, it was time for Martin's second clutch moment, lining it to right field, and then the smooth footwork evaded the tag at home to give the Eagles the walk-off win, 3-2.
"I was just thinking, find a way to get the ball to the outfield," Martin said. "In the first at-bat, there was one out, so just finding a way to move the runner, with two outs, the only thing you can do is get it to the outfield."
Stamper was exceptional in the circle for Carson-Newman as the freshman improved to 6-0 on the season. On 116 pitches, she allowed just two runs on four hits with 12 strikeouts.
"I love that kid; she is so good. Her spin is great, she doesn't buy into all the pressure, just cool and calm," Graves said. "She took us on her back for a while there when we were struggling to hit the ball."
Carson-Newman is now 19-2 on the season and will have one more non-conference doubleheader before South Atlantic Conference play begins. It will be on the road at Lee on Wednesday. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. from Cleveland, Tennessee.
