JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (26-14, 13-7 SAC) heads on the road to Emory & Henry (27-17, 8-10 SAC), looking to continue taking strides toward cementing a top-four seed in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament.
With four games left, C-N is third in the South Atlantic Conference, behind No. 2 Lenoir Rhyne. In-state rival Tusculum currently holds the final host spot in fourth, with Lincoln Memorial on its tail at No. 5.
C-N took care of business on Saturday against Coker on Senior Day, continuing to hold on to its top-four spot in the South Atlantic Conference's tightly packed upper echelon. The Eagles had their best offensive output since March 1st against Southern Wesleyan in game one, scoring 14 runs in a five-inning rule victory. C-N strung together three straight innings of four runs or more to pull away from the Cobras.
Macauley Bailey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) mashed her 15th home run of 2025, a three-run shot to grow C-N's lead to five in the second inning. Bailey's 15th long ball of 2025 marks the third consecutive season that Bailey has tallied 15 home runs. Syerra Rogers (Graysville, Tenn.) delivered four strong innings with seven strikeouts, building on a career-high in wins with her 13th winning decision, which ranks fifth in the South Atlantic Conference. Additionally, Rogers slid into the top ten in ERA, ranking 8th in the conference at 3.60.
C-N faced two separate deficits in game two, trailing 2-0 in the first and 3-2 in the third. However, the Eagles used a four-run fourth inning to pull away, highlighted by a Santana Anderson (Fairmont, N.C.) go-ahead three-run shot, giving C-N its first lead and one it wouldn't surrender. C-N added padding to the advantage on an Addie Saunders (Radford, Va.) RBI groundout and a Kennady Warder (Harrodsburg, Ky.) two-run home run.
A large part of C-N's ability to climb back into the nightcap was six strong innings from Mariyn Waterman (Oakdale, Calif.) in her first start, settling in after allowing two in the first, striking out a season-high five Cobras to earn her first winning decision of 2025.
The Eagles will travel to Emory, Virginia, on Wednesday to face Emory & Henry. After starting the season 2-3, the Wasps ripped off 14 straight wins, including a doubleheader sweep over then-No. 3 North Georgia, and eight of the wins came in run-rule fashion. However, the Wasps have faced a tough stretch in SAC play, losing five of six, including doubleheader sweeps at the hands of Lenoir-Rhyne and Coker, before a doubleheader sweep over Limestone and a split with Newberry.
The Wasps are one of the top-hitting squads in the league, tied for fourth in the SAC with a .347 team batting average. E&H ranks third in home runs (53), second in hits (413), and first in RBI (324). They have also shown discipline at the plate, working the most free passes in the conference (163) while striking out 134 times, the second-lowest tally in the league.
Senior outfielder Mackenzie Williams has been the Wasps' top hitter this season, holding a team-high .418 batting average with 30 RBI. The Wasps' leader in home runs and RBI is Lydia Taylor, ranking sixth in the South Atlantic Conference with 12 home runs and third with 48 RBI. Tristyn Tofano (43), Danielle King (35), and Abigail Street (33) are the other top RBI threats for Emory & Henry.
In the circle, E&H ranks in the middle of the pack with a team ERA of 4.54, slightly better than C-N's 4.96 ERA. The Wasps have pitched to contact in 2025, ranking 11th in strikeouts with 136. The Emory & Henry pitching staff has done a solid job limiting what is C-N's greatest strength, surrendering 22 home runs, which ranks second in the conference.
Two arms have accounted for 219 of E&H's 265.1 innings, the most significant being Malorie Reeves. Reeves' 16 wins rank 3rd in the South Atlantic Conference, holding a 16-11 record in 28 appearances, tossing 152 innings and 19 complete games. Reeves has posted a 3.64 ERA, striking out 90 of E&H's 136 while walking 35. Destiny Good has thrown 67 innings in 17 appearances, posting an 8-4 record with a 5.12 ERA. Good has walked 27 while striking out 19.
It's just the fifth time the Eagles and Wasps will clash, and it's the first time C-N has traveled to E&H. C-N has won the last two contests, scoring ten runs in both games of the twin bill in 2024.
On Wednesday, C-N and Emory & Henry will meet up at 1 p.m. in Emory, Virginia, as the Eagles look to further cement their spot as a top-four seed.
The games will be available on cneagles.com/FloSB with live stats at cneagles.com/livestats.
For updates throughout the 2025 Carson-Newman softball season, visit cneagles.com and follow us on social media @cn_eagles.
