Macauley Bailey breaks SAC RBI record as Carson-Newman sweeps Milligan
It can be lonely at the top, but not for Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.), as she is now the all-time leader in South Atlantic Conference history in career RBIs. The senior sparked RV Carson-Newman (27-8, 6-4 SAC) to a Thursday sweep over Milligan (14-10, 9-3 AAC).
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
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5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | X | 11 | 10 | 0 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
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2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | X | 11 | 13 | 0 |
VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
VIDEO: Macauley Bailey Interview
VIDEO: Addie Saunders Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – It can be lonely at the top, but not for Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.), as she is now the all-time leader in South Atlantic Conference history in career RBIs. The senior sparked RV Carson-Newman (27-8, 6-4 SAC) to a Thursday sweep over Milligan (14-10, 9-3 AAC).
Bailey surpassed Anderson's Kayson Boatner's mark of 239 with her 240th career RBI with a sixth-inning double, driving in fellow senior Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.). The two arrived in Jefferson City together back in 2022, and it was only fitting that they joined forces for this moment.
"I think it was perfect that it was Abby. Abby's the epitome of a great teammate, she's always been there for me," Bailey said. "She's picked me up when I was having a rough time, and vice versa. Abby's unselfish, so she took the walk, she stole the base, she knew that I wanted to break the record, so I think it was just a perfect way to break the record. And it was really nice that it was her, Abbi and I have always been close, and she's just a great teammate."
Thursday's sweep extended Carson-Newman's winning streak to five consecutive games and is one victory away from matching last year's win total. The contest against Milligan from the NAIA gave the chance for head coach Michael Graves to tinker with his lineup.
It's always nice when you get a chance to play a lot of different kids that you know you don't normally get to play a lot," Graves said. "What was really nice is we fell behind that second game a little bit, and getting to see those kids that, you know, you got different people playing different positions, and maybe not in the same batting order and everything, but, you know, they stuck together, and they come through, and they chipped away here and chipped away there, and then ended up pulling away. So that was nice to see out of a bunch of new faces."
Saunders pushed her on-base streak to nine straight games. In that span, she is 14-for-24 at the dish with four RBIs and a trio of extra-base hits.
Game One: Carson-Newman 11, Milligan 2
Reagan Rowan (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) made her second consecutive start, and her offense gave her a nice cushion after one inning.
Base hits from Malyiah Smith and Martin put early pressure on the bases as Bailey notched her first RBI of the day with a sacrifice fly. Then a base hit from Grace Gregory (White House, Tenn.) doubled the lead. Back-to-back walks from Saunders and Sarah Walker (Mills River, N.C.) loaded the bases for Shelby Armstrong (Knoxville, Tenn.), who was plunked by a pitch. Rowan then did some damage with the bat as she reached on an error, Saunders and Walker scored in the sequence, 5-0.
The Eagles extended their lead with a leadoff home run in the second off the bat of Bailey, 6-0. It was the fifth home run of the season for the senior.
An inning later, C-N reached double figures with its lead after a five-run third.
The bases were quickly juiced after three straight singles from Smith, Martin and Bailey. Gregory pushed Smith home on a hit by pitch. Two pitches later, Saunders laced a ground-rule double to left center to score two more. A base hit from Walker drove in Gregory and Saunders, 11-0.
Saunders reached base all three times she came to the plate and was one of four Eagle hitters with two RBIs.
"I've just been really perfecting my swing with Hayden [Dye] and coach Graves. Just being able to see the ball better, and I've been doing a lot of scouting and looking towards the pitchers and what they're going to throw to me," Saunders said. "So being able to expect that, and then knowing what they're going to throw, and be able to hit the ball where it's going to be placed."
Lacey Keck (Knoxville, Tenn.) relieved Rowan, who went three innings, allowing just two hits and striking out four.
The freshman, Keck, closed out the final two innings as Milligan scored two in the fifth on a groundout and a single.
It marked the second consecutive run-rule victory for Carson-Newman and was the fourth consecutive win.
Game Two: Carson-Newman 11, Milligan 4
C-N faced adversity to start the second half of the twin bill, with Milligan drawing first blood in the first at-bat, as Haley Vigil led the game off with a solo home run. The Buffaloes added onto the lead with an RBI single from Jordan Roulettwheeler, and then Alana Parsons left the yard in the next at-bat, 4-0.
The Eagles dug out of the hole in the bottom of the first with a mini two-out rally as Macauley Bailey worked a walk and then Anne Marie Richards (Spring Hill, Tenn.) launched her fourth home run of the season out to centerfield, 4-2.
An inning later, Abbi Martin and Bailey joined forces for the first of three times in game two. Martin started with a leadoff single before swiping second and scoring on the RBI single from Bailey, 4-3.
C-N took the lead in the bottom of the fourth, after Lacey Keck singled and Shelby Armstrong doubled, putting two in scoring position. A base hit from Martin scored the pair and gave the Eagles their first lead of the game. Bailey then tied Anderson's Kayson Boatner's SAC record of 239 RBIs on a double that scored Martin, 6-4.
A sacrifice fly from Katey Mathena (Blacksburg, Va.) plated Saunders in the fifth, 7-4.
Then in the sixth, history was made as Martin walked and stole second, setting up the table for Bailey. The senior then sizzled a shot down the left field line, bringing in Martin, 8-4, for Bailey's 240th career RBI, putting her alone atop the SAC all-time leaderboard.
Move over, your new @SAC_Athletics career RBI leader is @MacauleyBailey ����#TalonsUp x @cnsball x @FloCollegeSB x @FloCollege pic.twitter.com/viESXgFPXp
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) March 26, 2026
"I never wanted to transfer. They asked me a long time ago, 'Why didn't you go D1?' and all that stuff? Because this was home," Bailey said. "I knew that I loved my teachers. I love my professors, I love the program, and I wanted to make a difference here, and I feel like I've done that. My dad taught me to stick with something. You don't just give up or quit or leave when you think you're better than something, because you're not. The program is the way it is because people stay, and they get better."
After Saunders was hit by a pitch, the Eagles tacked onto the lead with a double from Mathena, scoring Bailey and Saunders. A double from Walker scored Mathena and put the finishing touches on game two, 11-4, as C-N scored the final 11 runs unanswered.
Pitching coach Holly Tucker-Vance's bullpen was shut down, surrendering just two hits in the final 6.1 innings, striking out four.
Kaliah Merritt (Wayne, W.V.) was the first arm out of the bullpen for the Eagles and put together her best outing of the year. The freshman went 3.1 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out a pair as she picked up the win.
"Kaliah was big," Graves said. "We're trying to get her stronger; she's coming off some injuries and stuff. When she's on, her ball really moves a lot, so getting them more reps is always key."
Fellow freshman Lacey Keck made her first start in the field and went 3-for-3 at the plate, notching her first hits since her debut on February 8th.
"I've seen Lacey play for a long time and the kid is a great hitter, great competitor, good athlete," Graves said. "She struggled a little bit early on when we put her in games, but today it looked like something just clicked, and she went back to what she is capable of doing."
Carson-Newman closes out a loaded week with a doubleheader at home against Mars Hill. It's a crucial pair of games as the Lions sit above the Eagles in the SAC standings. Game one is slated for a 1:00 p.m. start at the Vickee-Kazee Hollifield Softball Complex. Fans can watch the game with a FloSports subscription, listen to the game on cneagles.com/live or watch the In The Booth feed on the Carson-Newman Eagle Sports Network YouTube channel.
