Williamsburg, KY – Third-Seed Point Park notched 12 hits, including a pair of homeruns, to knock off second-seed Cumberlands 8-2 in the second game of the Williamsburg Bracket of the NAIA Baseball Opening Round Monday afternoon at Doyle Buhl Stadium. With the win Pioneers improve to 46-7, while the Patriots moves to 46-10.
After a scoreless first inning, Point Park plated at least one run in each of the next five innings to jump out to an 8-0 lead. In the second Richard Perez hit a leadoff single to right and came around on a Reynaldo Adames two-run homer to left field to give Point Park a 2-0 lead.
The Pioneers added a run in the third to extend their lead to 3-0. In the top of the fourth, Ben Herstine smashed a solo homer to left field to extend the lead to 4-0. Cole Horew followed with a double and scored on an Edberg Dominguez RBI single to give Point Park a 5-0 advantage.
Point Park added a run in the fifth and a pair in the sixth to take an 8-0 lead.
Cumberlands looked to rally in the bottom of the sixth as
Alex Dominguez hit a two-out single to left field.
Bryan Benz hit a two-run bomb over the leftfield fence to cut the score to 8-2.
That was the closest Cumberlands got as Nicholas Beardsley got the final seven outs for his second complete game of the season.
Beardsley (7-2) led Point Park pitching nine innings, scattering seven hits and two runs, while striking out five. Dominguez and Jake Horew both finished 3-5 at the plate. Dominguez added an RBI and two runs scored, while Adames went 1-5 while driving in a pair.
Leading the way for Cumberlands was Benz, who finished the game 2-3 with two RBI and a walk.
Orley Arellano also notched a pair of hits.
Josh Avila (6-2) took the loss after throwing 3.1 innings, scattering seven hits and five runs, while striking out three.
Point Park advances to the next round where they will face the winner of top-seed Bryan College vs. fourth-seed UNOH tomorrow at 11 a.m. Cumberlands drops to the elimination where they will face fifth-seed Marian tonight at 10:30 p.m.
