Harrogate, TN – Due to torrential rains, the UC Baseball team traveled on Sunday to Lincoln Memorial University on Sunday to host the Cougars of the University of St. Francis (IN) for two games of a four-game series. It was a phenomenal pair of pitching performances along with great small-ball offense that would give Cumberlands a 2-0 win along with a 3-1 victory, sweeping the doubleheader over the Cougars. The two wins improves UC to 8-3 overall on the season.
 
Game one would be in the hands of Anthony Martinez, making his first start of the season for the Patriots. The left-hander would continuously get stronger as the game went on, going a complete game seven innings allowing no runs on five hits and a pair of walks while striking out six in the complete game win.
 
UC's offense would come in the middle of the game, starting in the fourth inning. Raudy Martinez would lead off the inning with a single and would advance to second on an errant throw from pitcher Dane Hoffman on a pickoff move. With one down, Reed Spata would single up the middle, moving Andrew Patterson, who pinch ran for Martinez, over to third, putting runners on the corners with one away. Daniel Diaz would then come up and lay down a beautiful safety squeeze bunt, bringing Patterson home while he reached first, giving the Patriots a 1-0 lead. In the fifth, Orley Arellano would double down the left field line with two away. Martinez would come back to the plate and single to center, bringing in Arellano for UC's final run of the contest.
 
The second game of the day would see the start go to Cody Spencer, the first of his UC career. The Florida native would come out strong, earning his first win of the season for the Patriots, going 6.1 innings allowing just one earned run on four hits and two walks while sitting four down on strikes. Arellano would come in for the final two outs of the game after the Cougars would load the bases in the seventh, walking one and striking out one to earn the save.
 
The Patriots would strike first yet again, this time in the fourth. A one-out single by Andrew Ramos would get things started for UC. Britton Elmore would courtesy run for Ramos and would go to third on a single to right by J.C. Santos, putting runners on the corners with one down. Diaz would then single through the hole on the left side, bringing in Elmore for a 1-0 Patriot lead. After UC would load the bases with two down, Spata would be hit by a pitch, bringing in Santos to extend the lead to 2-0.
 
Santos would lead off the sixth inning with a walk. A single through the hole on the right side by Alex Dominguez would allow Santos to advance to third, putting runners on the corners again for the Patriots with one down. A RBI single to right by Bryan Benz would bring in the final run for Cumberlands, pushing the lead out to 3-0. St. Francis would pick up a lone run in the seventh on a bases loaded walk, but that would be it as UC would come away with a 3-1 win.
 
The two teams will be back on the diamond in Williamsburg on Monday at Doyle Buhl Stadium for another doubleheader. Game one is slated to begin at 1 pm.
 
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