JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (6-3) prepares for its second-straight four-game weekend, heading to the Lander Bearcat Invitational in Greenwood, South Carolina.
Last weekend was a successful trip to Johnson City for the Eagles, winning three of the four matchups with two run-rule wins. The lone seven-inning win featured a late inside-the-park home run from SieAnna Cameron (Alcoa, Tenn.) against Convers, pushing C-N ahead in the 6th and the Eagles held on to take down the Valkyries. C-N's only loss came against Barton in the weekend's final game, dropping the contest, 6-4.
The originally scheduled matchups on Wednesday with No. 3 North Georgia were postponed, as C-N heads to Greenwood with nearly a full week of rest.
C-N vs. USC Aiken, Friday 10:00 a.m.
C-N's opening matchup will come against one of three Peach Belt foes the Eagles will see over the weekend, the USC Aiken Pacers.
It'll be the 16th time the two programs clash, with C-N leading the all-time series 11-4. C-N and Aiken last matched up in 2018, where the Eagles won 8-0 in a five-inning run-rule win. The Eagles have won the last two matchups, with the Pacers' last win coming in the second game of a doubleheader split with C-N.
The Pacers are off to a solid start this season, holding a 7-5 record coming into this weekend's matchups. Despite a winning record through 12 games, Aiken has been streaky. The Pacers won four in a row before dropping the next three, two to No. 14 Francis Marion. Aiken enters this weekend's action after two midweek wins over Erskine.
Through 12 games, the Aiken offense has been stellar. The Pacers offense averages eight runs a game, with four hitters holding averages above .400. Peri Rouillard leads Aiken in batting average, hitting .455 with eight RBIs. The Pacers leading run scorer is Lydia Johnson, one of two with double-digit RBIs, scoring 11 through the first 12 games.
In the circle, two arms have thrown the lion's share of innings for Aiken, with Payton Baker and Lakyn Phillips combining for 70 of the 81 innings of work. Baker, through 47.2 innings, has six complete games, a 5-2 record, and 51 strikeouts, posting a 2.20 ERA in eight appearances. Phillips, throwing 22.1 innings, has a 3.76 ERA and a 2-1 record in four appearances.
The Pacers and the Eagles kick off the day at Doug Spears field at 10 a.m. on Friday.
C-N @ Lander, Friday 3 p.m.
Friday's second matchup will mark C-N's first true road game of the 2025 season, facing off with the hosts, the Lander Bearcats, for the 25th time in program history.
C-N leads the all-time series 17-7 and currently holds a four-game win streak over Lander with the last win coming in 2022.
In the heavyweight matchup in 2022, C-N improved to 17-3 while handing Lander its second loss of the season. Syerra Rogers (Graysville, Tenn.) notched her 5th win of the season, while Hayden Dye (Knoxville, Tenn.) cranked two home runs to put the game comfortably out of reach.
Lander comes into the weekend 6-2 after a healthy dose of South Atlantic Conference opponents early in the season. The Bearcats earned a split with preseason SAC favorite Wingate to open the season, followed by a split with Mars Hill and a win over Catawba.
Offensively, Linda Moore is hitting a scorching .640 with 16 hits in 25 at-bats, headlining a Lander offense with five hitters holding averages over .400. Emily Allen is the leading RBI threat for Lander, cashing in 15 of the 51 runs for the Bearcats through eight games.
Kamryn Akins is the leading arm for the Bearcats, tossing 25 of the 52 innings thus far. Through four starts, Akins holds a 2-0 record with two complete games and a 3.92 ERA. Akins also has 18 strikeouts, which is the most on the staff.
The Bearcats look to break the four-game skid while the Eagles look to stretch the streak to five at 3 p.m. on Friday.
C-N vs. Young Harris, Saturday 10:00 a.m.
The Eagles and the Lions will square off for the 10th time on Saturday, with Young Harris having the opportunity to even the all-time series that sits at 5-4 in favor of C-N.
The two last played in 2024, where the Lions won a tight matchup 7-6 at the Charger Chillout in Albertville, Alabama. Despite starting the scoring on an Abbi Martin (Gadsden, Ala.) triple, C-N surrendered the next five and found itself behind 5-1 after four. In the 5th, C-N brought the game even on a Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) two-run home run and a Brooklyn Lucero (Loma, Colo.) RBI-single. The scoring would halt until the extra frame in the 8th, where Lucero gave the Eagles the lead on a sac fly. However, the Lions got two in the bottom half of the 8th to walk it off.
Young Harris is off to a rocky start this season, dropping five of its first seven games. The two wins came in a doubleheader split against Georgia College and a Sunday win over Christian Brothers. Like C-N, Young Harris enters the four-game weekend with nearly a week of rest.
Offensively, the Lions are led by Shayla Pennington, hitting .421 through seven games. In the run scoring department, Gracie Hughes leads the team with seven RBIs despite striking out a team-high six times.
In the circle, Abby Pendergrass is the Lions' leading arm, tossing 18 innings and two complete games, posting a 2.72 ERA in four appearances.
C-N looks to break its two-game losing streak to Young Harris at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
C-N vs. Georgia College, Saturday at noon
C-N looks to hold onto the edge in another all-time series on Saturday, facing off with Georgia College for the 26th time in a series that C-N leads, 13-12.
The Eagles hold a five-game winning streak over the Bobcats, with the last win coming in 2022. The Eagles took the early 4-0 lead and wouldn't let the Bobcats get any closer than three runs. Hayden Dye finished the day with two RBIs, while Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) scored one.
The Bobcats are 4-4 coming into the two-day event, holding two quality wins over then-No. 23 Middle Georgia State. Georgia College will face another tough test, with No. 17 Lenoir-Rhyne at 2:00 p.m. following the matchup with the Eagles.
Offensively, the Bobcats only average four runs a game, but the pitching staff has held opponents to a .207 average, letting up just 28 runs.
In the box, Kam Caldwell leads the Bobcats in batting average (.370) and RBIs (6). Four of her ten hits have been for extra bases, ripping three doubles and a home run.
Georgia College has two arms combining for 36.1 of the 51 innings pitched in the circle. Shelby Jones has tossed 23.1 innings, posting a 2.10 ERA with two complete games, striking out 17. Tiffany Caban has chipped in with 13 innings of work, striking out 18. She has a 3.23 ERA and a 2-1 record in three appearances.
The Eagles and the Bobcats wrap up the weekend, as Georgia College looks to draw even in the all-time series while C-N looks to push the winning streak to six.
A live stream of the weekend's games will be available at https://pbcsportsnetwork.com/, while an audio-only stream will be broadcast live at cneagle.com/live.
For updates throughout the 2025 C-N softball season, visit cneagles.com and follow us on social media @cn_eagles.
