Cougars fall in an 11-7 battle with Karns on Brown-Archer Field

‘That’s a tough one to take. It was a really good baseball game’- Campbell Head Coach Adam Ellison

By Jake Monday, Voice of the Cougars

JACKSBORO, TN- The Baseball Cougars fell at home to the Karns Beavers in a hard fought 11-7 District 3 Class 4-A contest on Monday evening. “We play the game hard. We play the game the right way. Good things are going to happen for this team. I just don’t know when,” said second year Campbell Head Coach Adam Ellison. 

It was an emotional rollercoaster, to say the least, atop Brown-Archer Field Monday night for a district matchup between Karns and Campbell County. “That’s a tough one to take. It was a really good baseball game. One ball got us in the jet stream, said Ellison. 

The Cougars started the game stranding the bases loaded and followed up scoring three runs of their own in the first inning. Both teams then took turns rallying throughout the seven inning feature, with Karns putting up a five run fifth inning off the long ball. The Cougars rallied in the sixth to bring the game back within reach.

There was action for one through nine with Cooper McQuitty, Koalton Cupp, and Jake Lawson notching RBI hits. Some of the biggest at bats came from Caden Idles sacafrice bunt that led to a run in the third and Logan Belew reaching on a throwing error to later score in the sixth.

“I told this team a year and half ago, when I took over, that I want to win ballgames. We had a guy, Riley Gunter, almost go through the wall to make a play, multiple seniors put the ball in play, and chose to bunt instead of wanting to hit,” said Coach Ellison.

On the bump for the Cougars was Eli Lawson, with a final line of 96 pitches through four innings, six strikeouts, six base on balls, four hits for five runs; two earned. Rylan Rice came in relief in the fifth staying under 25 pitches before Riley Gunter closed out down the stretch with an economical 28 pitches and four hits.

“I’m so proud of Eli on the mound tonight. He threw 95-96 pitches, and the max is 120. He gave us his all and a chance to keep us in the ballgame,” added Coach Ellison. 

Campbell County travels to Karns today for game two of this district matchup with the first pitch scheduled for 6pm. 

“They are going to come out tomorrow night on fire, and, well, we will too,” said Coach Ellison. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-03/31/2026-6AM)