Williamsburg, KY – A pair of fantastic pitching performances coupled with the use of the long ball helped propel the Patriots to two more wins today as they started Mid-South Conference play on Thursday against the Bears of Shawnee State. A 5-1 win in game one along with a 6-5 win in game two pushes UC's record to 21-3 overall with their 17^th straight victory, the longest winning streak in the Brad Shelton era.
 
In game one, the ball was handed to junior transfer Josh Avila and he lived up to his potential. He would go eight strong innings giving up just one earned run on seven hits and three walks while striking out four in the win. After three scoreless innings of play, the offense of Cumberlands would come alive. With two on in scoring position, Daniel Diaz would push a bunt to the right side, beating out an infield single and driving in a run, giving UC a 1-0 lead.
 
The Patriots would then have a pair of long balls to aid in their lead. Andrew Ramos would work the count full before hitting his second home run of the season, this one a three-run shot, giving UC a 4-0 lead. On the very next pitch, Bryan Benz would send a solo shot over the right-center field fence, his eighth dinger of the season, to make it 5-0 Patriots. The Bears would get a lone run in the sixth before Garrett Vathroder would come in to finish out the game in the ninth, throwing a scoreless inning of play to give UC the 5-1 win.
 
Game two was a seven inning affair as Zach Hurley was handed the ball to start the contest. He would continue to look as if he is in mid-season form, earning his fourth win of the year after going six innings allowing two earned runs on six hits and two walks while sitting seven down on strikes. Vathroder would come in again in the final inning, this time giving up three runs, but finishing the game for the Patriots for the victory.
 
The Bears would put together a couple of hits in the top of the first as Dalton Phillips would hit a RBI double to give SSU their only lead of the day at 1-0. The Patriots would take that away in the second as Benz would hit another home run, his ninth of the season and sixth in the last five games, this one a two-run shot to give UC the 2-1 advantage.
 
UC would score three more in the fourth, the first on a bases loaded walk to Roberto Prado, to make it 3-1 UC. The next two would cross the plate on a two-run single by Alex Dominguez, giving UC a 5-1 lead. The Bears would cut into the lead with a RBI double from Sam Gerhold in the top of the fifth, making the lead 5-2 in favor of the Patriots. Cumberlands would get an much needed insurance run in the sixth with a solo home run by Orley Arellano, his fourth of the season, to push the lead to 6-2. In the seventh as Vathroder would come in to finish the game, the Bears would begin the inning with a single and a walk, putting two on with no one down. A three-run home run by Dalton Phillips would soar over the left field wall, cutting the lead to 6-5. Garrett would then sit down the next three Bear batters, two on strikeouts, to give UC the win.
 
The third and final game of the series with Shawnee State will be played on Friday, March 16^th at Doyle Buhl Stadium. The nine-inning contest is set to begin at 1 pm.
 
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