VIDEO: Lorelei Spradlin Interview
VIDEO: Michael Graves Interview
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (6-3) finishes the weekend 3-1 at the Big Region Preseason Preview, defeating King (2-3), 11-2, before dropping the second game to Barton (3-5), 6-4.
"In the first game, that's what we're supposed to do to teams," Graves said. "That's how good we can be. In game two, we struggled, so it doesn't always work out like that."
GAME ONE: C-N 11, King 2 (5)
The Eagles again found themselves behind early, after Aviah Bunsic singled home the game's opening run for the Tornado, giving King a 1-0 edge at the end of one.
Both teams were held scoreless in the 2nd, thanks to C-N's Lorelei Spradlin (Blacksburg, Va.) and King's Savana Luper tossing 1-2-3 innings. In the 3rd, C-N took the lead on SieAnna Cameron's (Alcoa, Tenn.) first of two RBI extra-base hits, scoring two on a double to vault C-N in front for the first time.
The Eagles' knockout punch came in the 5th. Brooklyn Lucero (Loma, Colo.) started the scoring effort with an RBI-single before Mari Robbins (Sweetwater, Tenn.) stole second, forcing an errant throw to third to check on Santana Anderson (Fairmont, N.C.), scoring on the throwing error to make it 4-1.
SieAnna Cameron then ripped her second two-RBI double of the day, growing the lead to six before Hayden Dye (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) roped back-to-back RBI singles. Santana Anderson put the exclamation mark on the frame, launching her third home run of the weekend to make it 11-1.
In the bottom of the 5th, King scratched across one on a Jessica Campbell RBI double, and the Tornado had the bases loaded before the freshman Lorelei Spradlin nipped the rally in the bud with a strikeout to end the game in run-rule fashion.
The Blacksburg native was stellar in her start for C-N, tossing five innings and overcoming three first-inning walks, striking out seven en route to earning the win.
"I struggled a little bit in the first inning," Spradlin said. "But I kept talking to my coaches and just relaxed and trusted myself to get through the rest of the game."
The Eagles got to King's Savana Luper early, who's other two starts went five and seven innings respectively. Luper tossed 3.2 innings before being relieved by Sophia Waters and Olesia Walch.
With the win, C-N gets retribution for its two losses to the Tornado a year ago, notching its 22nd victory all-time against King and the sixth win of the young season.
GAME TWO: Barton 6, Carson-Newman 4
Both starting pitchers in game two cruised through the first two innings, with Riley Sikes (Powell, Tenn.) and Barton's Kerrigan Wonder tossed goose eggs in the first two frames.
Barton opened the scoring in the 3rd on a Makenzie Cyzick RBI-triple before Savannah Olson reached on a throwing error to score another run, putting the Bulldogs ahead 2-0 after three.
The Eagles had an answer, starting with a Hayden Dye home run in the top of the 4th to cut the deficit in half. Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) laid down a beautiful but in the 5th, tying the game at two as the throw to first from the Barton catcher missed the mark. C-N would gain the lead in the 5th, as Dye brought in one on a bases-loaded walk.
Macauley Bailey would ground into a double play with the bases-loaded and nobody out in the 5th, scoring a run but leaving more to be desired in what looked like it could've been another crooked number for the Eagles.
Barton took advantage of the missed opportunity, starting with a Savannah Olson RBI-single to cut the deficit in half before Ronetta Gurley tied the game on her second hit. A two-RBI double from Kiersten Cooper, who was also in the circle for the Bulldogs, gave Barton the decisive 6-4 advantage in the 5th.
Despite bringing the tying run to the plate in the 6th, C-N could not find the tying run in the final game of the weekend, as Cooper set the Eagles down 1-2-3 in the top half of the 7th to earn the win.
Three Eagles did work in the circle in game one, with Riley Sikes throwing 3.1 innings, allowing four hits and an earned run while striking out two. Mariyn Waterman (Oakdale, Calif.) would throw one inning, allowing two hits and two earned runs before Syerra Rogers (Graysville, Tenn.) tossed the last two innings, allowing four hits and the decisive two runs.
Kerrigan Wonder threw the first four innings for Barton, letting up four runs while walking five and striking out four. Kiersten Cooper got the final nine outs of the contest, holding the Eagle offense at bay.
C-N is back in action on Wednesday, welcoming No. 8 North Georgia to The Vick for a midweek doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
The games will be available at cneagles.com/live, and a live stream on FloSports ($).
For updates throughout the 2025 Carson-Newman softball season, visit cneagles.com and follow us on social media @cn_eagles.
