JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (21-13, 8-6 SAC) heads back on the road for the third consecutive weekend, traveling to UVA Wise (17-18, 3-9 SAC) for a South Atlantic Conference Saturday twin bill in Wise, Virginia.
The Eagles are coming off a midweek split with Limestone. They dropped the opener, their first home loss since February 5th against Lee, before winning game two in five innings.
C-N opened the scoring in the opener with a Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) two-run home run, but the Eagle offense went scoreless until the sixth after the opening blast. The Saints took the lead in that stretch, scoring the subsequent six runs. C-N drew closer with two in the bottom half of the sixth with a Mari Robbins (Sweetwater, Tenn.) two-run home run, but the Saints matched that tally in the top of the seventh to pull away.
C-N wasted no time in game two, jumping to a five-run lead after one on three consecutive run-scoring hits with Hayden Dye (Knoxville, Tenn.) ripping a two-RBI double, Macauley Bailey with an RBI single, and Mari Robbins mashing her second home run of the twin bill, capping off the five-run first on a two-run home run. The two sides remained scoreless until the fourth, as Limestone cut into the lead on an RBI groundout. C-N pulled away in the bottom half with a four-run fourth before Hayden Dye walked it off in run-rule fashion with an RBI single.
On Wednesday, the Eagles’ four home runs extended their Division II-leading tally, bringing the total to 55, seven more than second-place Lenoir-Rhyne. C-N is now three home runs away from tying the single-season record set in 2024 with 58 home runs.
C-N heads back on the road, looking to right the ship away from The Vick. The Eagles have dropped five of the last six contests on the road, most recently falling twice at Mars Hill. C-N is 15-3 at home but 3-8 on the road in 2025.
The Eagles head to Wise, Virginia, to face off with a UVA Wise squad that has lost eight of its last ten. In that span, the Highland Cavaliers have been swept by Anderson, No. 17 Tusculum, and Lenoir-Rhyne. The two wins came in splits with Emory & Henry and Newberry.
UVA Wise ranks 10th in the conference in batting average (.304) and 9th in hits (265). Wise is 5th in team ERA (4.12) and has allowed 20 fewer runs than Carson-Newman’s staff in 25 more innings.
Offensively, the Highland Cavaliers are led by Adyson Gibson, leading the team in batting average (.358), also tallying two home runs and 13 RBI. Kaylynn Baker and Lindsey Polan have over 20 RBIs for the Highland Cavaliers, as Polan leads with 27 and Baker with 24. Abagail Mills (18), Taylor Clay (17), and Mallory McKnight (15) are other double-digit run-scorers for Wise.
Wise has five arms with 25 or more innings in 2025. Alivia Nolley leads the Highland Cavaliers in innings pitched, tossing 68 innings with a 4.01 ERA and five complete games, posting a 6-6 record in 13 starts. Jillian Jones holds a 2-7 record in nine starts, tossing 42.1 innings and four complete games with a 3.80 ERA. Olivia Shockley leads the team in ERA (3.59) through 41 innings, posting a 3-2 record. 12 of Shockley’s 16 appearances have come in relief. Bayleigh Allison (38.1) and Savannah Paul (28) are the other two notable arms for Wise, both throwing predominantly in relief.
It will be the 13th and 14th all-time meetings with the Highland Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon. C-N leads the all-time series 9-3 and has won the last five matchups, with four coming in run-rule fashion.
The Eagles took two from the Highland Cavaliers last season, narrowly winning game one before a 12-4 run-rule win in game two.
Wise jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in game one, but C-N used five unanswered runs in the middle innings to hand Jillian Jones her seventh loss of 2024. Hayden Dye’s bases-clearing double in the third handed C-N its first lead, which it would not relinquish.
The Highland Cavaliers gained another 3-0 edge in the first inning of game two, but C-N used two innings of three-run production and a four-run fifth to put the stamp on a run-rule win. Trinity Brooks’ (Jackson, Tenn.) inside-the-park home run gave C-N the momentum and the lead in the second inning.
The Eagles will aim to extend their winning streak over Wise on Saturday and get things back on track away from home with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. in Wise, Virginia.
The games will be available on FloSports ($) with an audio-only stream at cneagles.com/live.
For updates throughout the 2025 Carson-Newman softball season, visit cneagles.com and follow us on social media @cn_eagles.