Carolina Mens Baseball League, Inc.

THE 2026 CMBL CHAMPIONSHIP

Some championships are between two teams that simply survived the bracket. Not this one.

This one has been building all season.

The #1 River Ducks and #3 WarDogs meet Sunday with everything on the line. Two of the league’s best teams, chasing two very different pieces of history.

The Ducks entered the CMBL in 2025 after the merger of the Wilmington Rays and Wilmington Marlins and immediately became the standard. They won both the Spring and Fall Championships last year and are 27-7-1 since joining the league.

Now they are one win away from making it three straight.

The Ducks went 12-2 this season, led the league in runs scored with 222 and runs allowed with just 38, earned the #1 seed, and are 3-0 in the postseason.

Across the field is a WarDogs team that has been building toward this moment since 2023.

An all-military program connected to a national military baseball organization, the Dogs are 54-20-1 since joining the CMBL. They won last year’s regular-season title and have consistently been among the league’s best.

But they had never reached the CMBL Championship Round.

Until now.

The WarDogs went 11-3 this season, finished second in runs scored with 202 and third in runs allowed with 87, and have battled to a 4-1 postseason record.

And these two know each other well.

March 15: Ducks 11, WarDogs 5.
June 7: WarDogs 2, Ducks 1 — handing the Ducks their first loss of the season.
August 30: Ducks 9, WarDogs 7 — sending the Ducks to the championship and snapping a Dogs 10-game win streak.

The WarDogs answered with a 14-3 win over the Copperheads to earn another shot.

Caleb Bishop. Chris Roan. Casey Schoonmaker. Patrick Krack.
Charlie Ramsland. Jake Mattox. Derek Fallecker. Kyle Monko.

Championship-tested stars on one side. A group finally getting its championship shot on the other.

The Ducks need one win.
The WarDogs need two.

A Ducks victory makes them champions. A WarDogs win forces a winner-take-all Game 27.

They’ve spent an entire season measuring themselves against each other.

Now one of them gets the last word.

#1 VS #3
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
12:00 PM — ROLAND GRISE

The 2026 CMBL Championship is here.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP IS SET.

After 25 playoff games, only two teams remain.

#1 RIVER DUCKS vs #3 WARDOGS.

The River Ducks took the unbeaten path through the winners’ bracket, defeating the Renegades, Eels, and WarDogs to become the first team to punch their ticket to the Championship Round.

The WarDogs took the longer road. After falling to the Ducks 9-7 in Game 23, they responded with a 14-3 elimination win over the Copperheads to earn another shot.

And because this is double elimination, the setup is simple:

The Ducks are still unbeaten and need one win to become CMBL Champions.

The WarDogs have one loss and need to beat the Ducks twice. A WarDogs win in Game 26 would force the winner-take-all Game 27.

These two have already seen plenty of each other this season. They met twice during the regular season, including the WarDogs’ 2-1 win that handed the Ducks their first loss of the year, and then battled again in the winners’ bracket final.

Now they meet with the championship on the line.

#1 River Ducks vs #3 WarDogs.

Game 26.

One win away for the Ducks.
Two wins away for the Dogs.

The 2026 CMBL Championship is here.

ACTIVE CARE CHIROPRACTIC
PLAYOFF GAME 25 PLAYER OF THE GAME

Charlie Ramsland (WarDogs)

With a trip to the CMBL Championship on the line, Charlie Ramsland delivered one of the most complete performances of the postseason.

Ramsland worked 6 innings on the mound, allowing just 3 hits and 1 earned run while striking out 11 as the WarDogs eliminated the Copperheads, 14-3.

Then he did just as much damage with the bat.

Ramsland finished 3-for-5 with two home runs, 5 RBI, and 2 runs scored, helping power a WarDogs offense that scored in each of the first seven innings and launched five home runs on the afternoon.

Six innings. Eleven strikeouts. Three hits. Two home runs. Five RBI.

A championship berth-clinching performance on both sides of the ball.

Presented by Active Care Chiropractic

GAME 25 — WARDOGS 14, COPPERHEADS 3

The #3 WarDogs are headed to the CMBL Championship Round.

With the season on the line, the Dogs broke out offensively and eliminated the #7 Copperheads with a 14-3 win.

The WarDogs scored in each of the first seven innings, but the game really opened up with four runs in the fourth and five more in the seventh. By the end of the afternoon, they had piled up 15 hits and launched five home runs.

Derek Fallecker and Charlie Ramsland did most of the damage.

Fallecker finished 2-for-4 with two home runs, 5 RBI, 3 runs scored, and a walk, while Ramsland went 3-for-5 with two home runs, 5 RBI, and 2 runs scored.

JJ Tipton added another huge day, going 3-for-4 with a home run, RBI, 3 runs, and a walk, while Brian Self collected three hits of his own.

Ramsland also delivered on the mound, working 6 innings, allowing just 3 hits and 1 earned run while striking out 11. The WarDogs’ staff finished with 14 strikeouts.

For the Copperheads, Zach Reed homered in the first, but they could never slow down the WarDogs’ offense. Their postseason run ends one game short of the championship round.

WarDogs 14, Copperheads 3.

The #3 WarDogs advance to face the #1 River Ducks in the 2026 CMBL Championship Round.

One matchup left.

Ducks vs WarDogs.

CMBL PLAYOFFS — GAME 25

One game for the final spot in the 2026 CMBL Championship.

The #3 WarDogs and #7 Copperheads meet today in the Elimination Bracket Final, and there are no second chances left.

The WarDogs enter after suffering their first postseason loss last weekend, falling 9-7 to the River Ducks in the winners’ bracket final. They’ve been one of the league’s strongest teams all year, and now they have one more opportunity to earn their way into the championship round.

The Copperheads have taken the long road to get here. After falling to these same WarDogs 7-1 in Game 18, they eliminated the Brew Crew and then survived one of the wildest games of the postseason — beating the Northern Lights 2-0 despite being no-hit.

Now they get the rematch.

#7 Copperheads vs #3 WarDogs
Sunday, September 6th
12:00 PM
Kerr St. Park

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

The loser’s season is over.

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.