Portsmouth, OH – Sidney Pennycuff threw a complete game, two-hitter to help the UC to a 5-0 win in game 1, before dropping game two 6-2 against MSC foe Shawnee State Friday afternoon. After the split the Patriots move to 16-30 overall and 9-17 in MSC play, while the Bears move to 23-20 overall and 10-15 in conference play.
Elisa Mauldin got things started for the Patriots with a two-out single in the first.
Hannah Stephenson followed with a single, before
MiKayla Vires drove a two-run double to left center to give Cumberlands a 2-0 lead.
UC extended their lead in the second inning as
Hayley Kilburn led off with a double to left-center.
Lexi Jones and
Kailin Yantz both reach base to load the bases with one out.
Morgan Santos then hit into a fielder choice, scoring Kilburn and extending UC's lead to 3-0.
Stephenson led off the third with a walk, stole second, and scored on an
Emily Fox single to give the Patriots a 4-0 lead.
In the circle, Pennycuff got off to a strong start retiring the first 12 batters in order, including a pair of strikeouts. After hitting Kayla Koch to lead off the fifth, Pennycuff got the Bears to hit two infield popups and then struck out Haley Rawlins to get out of the inning.
Madison Huber and Yantz hit back-to-back doubles in the top of the sixth to extend the Patriots lead to 5-0. In the bottom of the inning, Pennycuff surrendered a hit in both the sixth and seventh inning, but didn't allow a runner past second as she notched her third complete game of the season.
Pennycuff finished with three strikeouts to post her eighth win of the season. Stephenson led the way at the plate going 1-2 with a pair of walks and two runs scored. Vires added a pair of RBI, while Yantz and Santos each chipped in a RBI.
Cumberlands jumped out to an early lead in game two as Yantz led off with a walk and advanced to second on a sac bunt. Mauldin followed with a single, scoring Yantz to give UC a 1-0 lead.
Shawnee State responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead. The Bears scored three in the second and added an unearned run in the third to extend their lead to 6-1.
The Patriots looked to battle back in the fourth as
Emily Fox hit a one-out single. After
Morgan Ellis came in to pinch-run, Kilburn drilled a double down the leftfield line to score Ellis and cut the deficit to 6-2. UC loaded the bases with two-outs in the fifth but were unable to convert for the 6-2 final.
Mauldin led the way for UC going 2-4, while Kilburn finished 1-3 with a double and a RBI.
Sydney Maynard pitched a complete game scattering nine hits and six runs, only three of which were earned.
The Patriots will wrap up their regular season with a doubleheader tomorrow against Shawnee State with the first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m.
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