Massive Top 25 clash moved up to Friday as No. 21 Carson-Newman hosts No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne on Senior Day
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The SAC Regular Season Title and postseason seeding implications are on the line as No. 21 Carson-Newman (37-8, 16-4) concludes the regular season against No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne (35-11, 17-3 SAC). This meeting was initially slated for Saturday, April 25th, but with the impending rain expected on Saturday, the two sides agreed to move the contest up one day to Friday, the 24th, with a 1:00 p.m. start time for game one.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
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0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final (8) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 1 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
VIDEO: In The Booth vs No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne (Game 1)
VIDEO: In The Booth vs No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne (Game 2)
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The SAC Regular Season Title and postseason seeding implications are on the line as No. 21 Carson-Newman (37-8, 16-4) concludes the regular season against No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne (35-11, 17-3 SAC). This meeting was initially slated for Saturday, April 25th, but with the impending rain expected on Saturday, the two sides agreed to move the contest up one day to Friday, the 24th, with a 1:00 p.m. start time for game one.
Carson-Newman will honor six seniors between the two games, including Bailee Worley (Black Mountain, N.C.), Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.), Alaina Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.), Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.), Grace Gregory (White House, Tenn.) and Riley Sikes (Powell, Tenn.).
Last Wednesday was the last time the Eagles took the field, as they dispatched Emory & Henry to extend the win streak. C-N controlled game one from the start to pick up a 6-2 win, but in game two, it overcame its largest deficit of the season with a four-run sixth to pick up the sweep, 6-4.
"I think coming out in game one was key. Held them there in the first inning, Abbi [Martin] made a great play to save runs, and then we come out and score a bunch of runs in the first, and more in the second," head coach Michael Graves said. "Second game, not so much. We had some dugout issues, field issues and we addressed them afterwards. Hopefully that doesn't rear its head again, because this team is too talented to let things like that happen."
With the sweep, Carson-Newman has now won 15 consecutive contests, the longest winning streak since 2017, when it won 17 straight. It has also swept the last six SAC doubleheaders and has 13 straight victories in conference play.
The 37 wins this season are the most for the Eagles, also since 2017, when they went 43-13 overall.
Three of the seniors being honored have been engines all season long in the C-N offense.
Macauley Bailey is one of the top hitters in the region. She leads the SAC with a .456 average and is second with 54 RBIs this season. The Cross Plains native has also added seven home runs this season. Since breaking the all-time SAC RBI record on March 26, the senior has posted just four RBIs in the last 10 games.
Over the past 14 games, Grace Gregory has energized the Eagles' offense, going 25-for-46 at the plate, .543, totaling five home runs and 23 RBIs. Her 9 home runs lead C-N and is fifth in the SAC. Additionally, her 46 RBI are the second-most on the team and the third-best in the SAC. Last week, the White House native was named both SAC Player of the Week and TSWA Player of the Week.
Abbi Martin has been enjoying a career senior season. The Gadsden, Alabama, native has posted career highs with a .394 batting average, 38 RBIs, a .433 on-base percentage, and a .471 slugging percentage. She is 19-for-23 in stolen bases, the third-highest total in the SAC.
In the circle, Atiana Stamper (Knoxville, Tenn.) has been a focal point in the stable of pitchers, and lately Lorelei Spradlin (Blacksburg, Va.) has emerged after back-to-back stellar outings.
Stamper has pitched in seven of the last eight contests. The freshman is 13-3, second in the SAC with a 1.95 ERA and tied fourth with 107 Ks. Opponents are batting .186 against her.
Spradlin is gaining confidence down the stretch and has notched wins in her last two appearances. The sophomore posted a complete game against Coker on April 11th, followed by four innings of one-hit ball against Emory & Henry on April 15th. Across her last two outings, Spradlin is 2-0 with 11 innings, allowing just one earned run, while striking out eight.
No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne enters the final weekend with a one-game lead over Carson-Newman and Anderson for the top spot in the SAC. In its midweek contests, the Bears blasted 10 home runs in a dominant sweep of Lees-McRae, notching 39 hits. It extended their winning streak to five games after splitting its prior three doubleheaders.
Led by Shena Hollar in her 27th year at the helm, who owns more than 1000 career victories, the Bears have eclipsed 35 wins in each of their last four seasons, made the NCAA Tournament each time, won the last two SAC Tournaments and have a Division II College World Series appearance in 2024.
LR's offense is one of the most potent in the country, launching 66 home runs, the second-most in Division II, trailing only West Texas A&M's 71. It is third in the SAC with a team batting average of .333.
Madison Primm leads the charge with a .411 average, nine home runs and 42 RBIs, fifth in the SAC. The junior is one of five Bears hitters with seven or more long balls this season. Lani Warren has the most with 13, second-most in the SAC, and 41 RBIs.
The two-headed monster in the circle of Faith Carrigan and Madison Wilson powers Lenoir-Rhyne. The pair ranks in the top five in the SAC in ERA, wins and strikeouts. Carrigan is 15-4 with 18 complete games, a 1.97 ERA, across 127.2 innings, notching 107 strikeouts. While Wilson is 16-4 with 15 complete games, a 2.27 ERA in 129.1 innings pitched, totaling 143 strikeouts.
Carson-Newman and Lenoir-Rhyne face off for the 96th and 97th time, with the Eagles leading the all-time series, 56-39. However, it was the Bears that took both meetings last year in Hickory, 5-2 in game one and 14-11 in the second contest. The last time the two faced on the banks of Mossy Creek in 2024, it was a sweep for C-N.
Friday's doubleheader in Jefferson City, Tennessee, is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. at the Vickee-Kazee Hollifield Softball Complex. Fans can watch the game on FloSports with a subscription, listen to it on cneagles.com/live or watch the In The Booth feed on the Carson-Newman Eagle Sports Network YouTube channel.
