WISE – The UVA Wise baseball team ended the 2026 season as Carson-Newman swept the South Atlantic Conference season series Friday and Saturday on Burchell Stallard Field.
All the games were close, with the Cavs holding late leads in each one before the Eagles rallied to claim the win.
Before Saturday's game, the team and fans said goodbye to 17 seniors.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Results Game One: Carson-Newman 9, UVA Wise 7
Results Game Two: Carson-Newman 9, UVA Wise 7
Results Game Three: Carson-Newman 10, UVA Wise 9
Records: UVA Wise (11-36, 6-27 SAC); Carson-Newman (31-17, 19-14 SAC)
GAME ONE
- The Cavaliers hit three home runs in the game, but the Eagles secured the win with a three-run rally in the ninth inning.
- UVA Wise started strong with
Carter Babb's two-run homer to right field in the first inning, following
Luke Johnson's double, giving the Highland Cavaliers a 2-1 lead after Carson-Newman had scored one run. Score: 2-1, UVA Wise.
- In the fourth inning, the Cavs extended their lead to 3-1.
Jacob Boyle scored on
Jaden Ruehling's groundout after advancing to third on a passed ball. Score: 3-1, UVA Wise.
- The fifth inning saw UVA Wise capitalize further as
Jacob Boyle hit a two-run homer, and
Dalton Chapman drove in
Morgan Miller with a single, increasing the lead to 6-1. Score: 6-1, UVA Wise.
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Carter Babb struck again in the sixth inning with a solo home run to right center, pushing UVA Wise ahead 7-1. Score: 7-1, UVA Wise.
- Carson-Newman rallied in the seventh inning, scoring three runs to cut the deficit. Logan Floyd's two-RBI single and Bradley Soto Diaz's RBI double brought the score to 7-4. Score: 7-4, UVA Wise.
- In the eighth inning, the Eagles continued their comeback with a two-RBI single from Ryan Bolton, bringing it closer at 7-6. Score: 7-6, UVA Wise.
- Carson-Newman completed its comeback in the ninth inning. Braxton Smith's walk with the bases loaded, followed by Jacob Rogers' two-RBI double, secured its lead and victory, finishing the game at 9-7. Final score: 9–7, Carson-Newman.
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Eli Reece pitched for 6 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits, while walking two and striking out four.
Mason McAlarnis contributed 1 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on two hits and recording one strikeout.
Ryan Whitson faced challenges in his 2/3 inning appearance, surrendering three earned runs on one hit and two walks.
Sawyer Patrick closed out the pitching effort with a brief appearance, striking out one batter in 1/3 inning.
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Carter Babb led the offense with two home runs, driving in three runs and scoring twice.
Jacob Boyle complemented the effort with a home run of his own, collecting two RBIs and scoring twice.
GAME TWO
- Carson-Newman jumped out to an early lead in the first inning with six runs. Logan Floyd singled and stole second, followed by Aiden Gibson's RBI double. Sebastian Rodriguez's two-run homer and a series of walks further extended the advantage. Carson-Newman led 6–0 after one inning.
- In the second inning, the Eagles added two more runs with a sacrifice fly from Rodriguez and an RBI groundout by Cole Nathan. The score was 8–0 in favor of the Eagles after the second inning.
- The Cavaliers got on the board in the third inning when
Jaden Ruehling doubled down the right field line, bringing home
Tyler Jones. Carson-Newman led 8–1 after three innings.
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Carter Babb cut into the deficit with a solo home run to right center in the fourth inning, making the score 8–2.
- In the fifth inning, Carson-Newman added a run with an RBI single from Braxton Smith. The Cavs responded with a five-run surge.
Jake Smith singled to right field, scoring two runs, and
Joshua Morgan followed with a three-run homer to right center. The Eagles' lead was reduced to 9–7 after five innings.
- Both teams remained scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings. The final score was Carson-Newman 9, Cavaliers 7.
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Hunter Garrett pitched for 1/3 inning, allowing three earned runs on three hits, including a home run, with 12 pitches thrown.
Logan Delph followed, delivering 2/3 inning while struggling with control, issuing five walks and allowing four runs.
Jake DeNeef provided relief with 4 innings pitched, conceding two runs on four hits, striking out two, and walking one.
Braden Hamilton closed with 2 innings, yielding one hit and striking out three while walking two.
- Ruehling recorded three hits, including two doubles, and drove in a run. Babb hit a home run, collected one RBI, and scored twice. Morgan added a home run while driving in three runs and scoring once.
Jake Smith contributed with two RBIs and one hit.
GAME THREE
- UVA Wise hosted Carson-Newman in a tightly contested game, with the visiting team narrowly securing a 10-9 victory. In the opening inning, the Eagles took an early lead with Bradley Soto Diaz's two-run home run, but the Cavs responded as
Jaden Ruehling scored on a
Carter Babb single, and
Jacob Boyle's two-RBI double put the home team ahead 3-2.
- In the second inning,
Dalton Chapman and Ruehling each doubled, bringing in two more runs for the Highland Cavaliers, extending the lead to 5-2. The third inning saw further advancement, as Chapman doubled again, and a wild pitch allowed an additional two runs, making it 7-2.
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Drew Knight added to the home team's tally in the fifth with a solo home run, increasing the lead to 8-2. However, the sixth inning turned the tide as the Eagles rallied with six runs, including a two-run homer by Jacob Rogers, narrowing the score to 9-8.
- Carson-Newman tied the game in the eighth when Bradley Soto Diaz scored on an error, bringing the score to 9-9. In the ninth inning, a pinch runner scored on a sacrifice fly, giving the Eagles a one-run lead. The Cavaliers were unable to respond in their final at-bat, resulting in a 10-9 loss.
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Gabe Gowder pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing six earned runs on eight hits, including two home runs, while striking out three batters and issuing three walks over 90 pitches.
Sawyer Patrick faced control issues, walking two batters and throwing two wild pitches without recording an out.
Mason McAlarnis managed just 1/3 of an inning, giving up one hit and one walk.
Ean Marria provided some stability with three innings of relief, allowing just one earned run on one hit and striking out one, despite hitting two batters and walking three.
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Jaden Ruehling scored two runs and added a double with one RBI, contributing significantly to the team's offensive output.
Drew Knight hit a home run, driving in one run and scoring himself, which added to the scoreboard pressure.
Jacob Boyle drove in two runs and collected two doubles, boosting the team's hitting performance.
Carter Babb finished with two hits, one RBI, and drew a walk, showing consistency at the plate.
UP NEXT
The team will return to the field in the fall.
