Carolina Mens Baseball League, Inc.

ACTIVE CARE CHIROPRACTIC
PLAYOFF GAME 24 PLAYER OF THE GAME

Zach Reed (Copperheads)

In one of the strangest playoff games we’ve ever seen, Zach Reed made sure two runs were enough.

Reed threw a complete-game shutout against the Northern Lights, going all 9 innings while allowing 6 hits and 2 walks and striking out 15 on 135 pitches in the Copperheads’ 2-0 elimination-game win.

And he had absolutely no margin for error.

The Copperheads were no-hit on the other side, meaning Reed had to protect a lead built without a single hit from his offense. He did exactly that, keeping the Lights off the scoreboard from the first pitch to the last.

Nine innings. Zero runs. Fifteen strikeouts.

A complete-game shutout in an elimination game where his own team was no-hit.

Zach Reed keeps the Copperheads’ season alive and sends them to Game 25.

Honorable Mention: Kevin Mintz

Presented by Active Care Chiropractic

ACTIVE CARE CHIROPRACTIC
PLAYOFF GAME 23 PLAYER OF THE GAME

Sam Zinn (River Ducks)

Sam Zinn was everywhere in the biggest game of the Ducks’ season.

Zinn went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with 2 RBI, 2 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases as the River Ducks defeated the WarDogs 9-7 to punch their ticket to the 2026 CMBL Championship.

He also took the ball in relief, giving the Ducks 2 innings on the mound as they worked their way through a tough WarDogs lineup.

Three hits. Two RBI. Two runs. Two stolen bases. Two innings pitched.

A complete performance with a championship berth on the line.

Honorable Mention: Caleb Bishop

Presented by Active Care Chiropractic

THE BRACKET IS UPDATED

We’re down to three.

The #1 River Ducks are officially into the 2026 CMBL Championship after surviving the WarDogs, 9-7, in the winners’ bracket final.

Now the #3 WarDogs drop into Game 25, where the #7 Copperheads are waiting after one of the strangest wins you’ll ever see — a 2-0 victory over the Northern Lights despite being no-hit.

That sets up one final elimination game.

#3 WarDogs vs #7 Copperheads.

They’ve already met once this postseason, with the WarDogs winning 7-1 in Game 18. Now they meet again with everything on the line.

The winner advances to face the #1 River Ducks for the 2026 CMBL Championship.

The loser’s season is over.

Three teams remain.

River Ducks. WarDogs. Copperheads.

One more game before the championship matchup is complete.

GAME 24 — COPPERHEADS 2, NORTHERN LIGHTS 0

Baseball can be a ridiculous game sometimes.

The #7 Copperheads are headed to the loser’s bracket final after defeating the #2 Northern Lights, 2-0, without recording a hit.

Kevin Mintz turned in an unbelievable performance for the Lights, throwing 7 no-hit innings with 20 strikeouts. Brian Herrmann followed with another hitless inning and a strikeout, giving the Lights a combined no-hitter with 21 strikeouts.

And they lost.

The Copperheads found another way. They worked 9 walks, were hit twice, stole 6 bases, and took advantage of opportunities on the bases to scratch across runs in the fifth and seventh. Only one of the two runs was earned.

Then there was Zach Reed.

Reed threw all 9 innings for the Copperheads, scattering 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 15 on 135 pitches. The Lights put runners aboard, but Reed never allowed one to cross the plate.

So the final pitching lines looked almost impossible:

**Lights: 8 IP, 0 H, 21 K.**
**Copperheads: 9 IP, 6 H, 15 K, 0 R.**

And somehow, the Copperheads win 2-0.

The #7 Copperheads survive again and advance to Game 25 against the #3 WarDogs.

The winner goes to the CMBL Championship.

The Northern Lights’ 2026 season comes to an end after an incredible run through the elimination bracket.

GAME 23 — RIVER DUCKS 9, WARDOGS 7

The #1 River Ducks are headed to the 2026 CMBL Championship after a winners’ bracket final that turned into a back-and-forth fight all afternoon.

The WarDogs struck first in the opening inning. Jake Mattox led the game off with a double, and Derek Fallecker followed with an RBI single to bring him home and give the Dogs a 1-0 lead.

The Ducks answered in a big way in the middle innings.

Colby Dice got the scoring started with an RBI single in the third before Ryan Dougherty ripped a two-run triple to put Cape Fear ahead 3-1. An inning later, Sam Zinn drove home two more with a two-run single, stretching the Ducks’ lead to 5-1.

Then the Dogs came right back.

In the fifth, Charlie Ramsland delivered the biggest swing of the day for Camp Lejeune, launching a three-run home run to cut the deficit to just one at 5-4.

But the Ducks kept answering every push.

Patrick Krack doubled home a run in the sixth, and Mike Barker followed with an RBI single to push the lead back to 7-4. Cape Fear added two more in the seventh, with one run coming on a hit-by-pitch and another scoring on an error to make it 9-4.

And the WarDogs still weren’t finished.

Down five entering the ninth, the Dogs loaded the bases and pushed one across on a hit-by-pitch. Mattox then came through again with a two-run single, suddenly cutting the Ducks’ lead to 9-7 and bringing the tying run back into the picture.

That’s where the comeback stopped.

Mattox finished 3-for-4 with a double, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored, and a walk, while Ramsland drove in three with his fifth-inning homer.

For the Ducks, Zinn went 3-for-3 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored, Dougherty finished with two hits, a triple, and 2 RBI, and Krack, Barker, and Dice each delivered key run-scoring hits.

Caleb Bishop gave Cape Fear 7 innings with 15 strikeouts, and the Ducks’ pitching staff finished the afternoon with 18.

River Ducks 9, WarDogs 7.

The Ducks remain unbeaten in the postseason and become the first team to punch their ticket to the CMBL Championship.

The WarDogs aren’t done. They drop into Game 25 and will get one more chance to play their way into the championship round.

Copperheads take a 1-0 lead in the 5th after a wild pitch.

Kevin Mintz (Northern Lights) has recorded 15 Ks through 5 innings.

Ducks Advance to the CMBL Championship with 9-7 Win over the WarDogs

Charlie Ramsland goes yard for a 3-run bomb to bring the WarDogs right back into it.

Midway through the 5th, Ducks lead 5-4.

Winner’s Bracket Final Update:

Ducks score 3 in the 3rd, 2 in the 4th to take a 5-1 lead after 4.

Dogs strike first in the top of the 1st.

A Jake Mattox double followed by a Derek Fallecker single puts the Dogs up 1-0.