Montgomery, AL – Meryn Livingston demolished a three-run homer en route to the 7-2 win over #19 Faulkner Eagles. The Patriots ended the day with another 1-1 split record after falling to Midway earlier in Friday evening. UC holds onto a 2-2 overall record after day one of the Faulkner Invitational.
 
Livingston finished the game tallying three hits on three at bats and got walked once. The rookie out of Georgetown, KY scored once with her three-run home run to center field to round out four runs batted in.
 
Madison Huber had an incredible night on the field defensively in addition to her one hit contribution at the plate. The returner made several key grabs to keep Faulkner off the bases, including a diving snag for the lineout to end the third inning. Huber made two putouts on the evening and assisted four times.
 
Almost tabbing a complete game, Jessica Webb collected the win from the circle after 6.1 innings of action. The junior-transfer tossed 70 strikes on the day of her 130 pitches, striking out three batters along the way. Webb allowed six hits and two runs in the second game of the day.
 
Livingston secured the strong start for the Patriots in the first inning, advancing Maddie Sickau home, beating out the throw on an infield single to short with two outs. Sickau initially moved onto first on a single to third base, beating out the throw as well. Hannah Stephenson slapped the ball to right field to move Sickau into scoring position on the corner.
 
The Patriots put the Eagles away in the bottom of the first without relinquishing a hit. The Eagles clawed back, scoring on a wild pitch by Webb. Livingston powered her three-run homer in the third while Faulkner scored another run of their own, rounding out the inning 4-2.
 
A late, sixth-inning swing for the Patriots extended the scoring margin to 7-2 in the UC's favor. One error spelled disaster for the Eagles, as Emily Jasper took advantage of a misplayed bunt and overthrow by the third baseman to round all the bases and score for the Patriots, bringing home Corinne Haverland and Sarah Biggerstaff as well.
 
After one out in the seventh, Webb relinquished the pitching circle to Krystin Wilson. A passed ball and outfield single resulted in a pair of runs for the Eagles, but the Patriots shutdown their hitting production as Huber tosses the final out to Tori Malone at first for the groundout. Wilson gave up one hit to four batters faced and struck one batter out looking.
 
The Patriots were unable to make a comeback win over the Midway Eagles earlier in the day, falling on neutral ground 5-4. Paige Parker recorded the loss on the 5.2-inning affair, collecting four strikeouts against 26 batters faced.
 
Midway went up by two in the first inning to establish an early lead but the Patriots responded with two of their own in the fourth. Thanks to an Eagle error, Jenna Howell scored the first run of the day and Jasper moved into scoring position with one out in the books. A sacrifice flyout by Huber mover Jasper home to tie up the game.
 
The Patriots could not hold Midway back as the Eagles score three runs in the sixth to retake the lead. Cumberlands capitalized on Midway's errors, resulting in one of the two runs scored while the other was on a fielder's choice. The late two-run rally by Patriots would not be enough to revive UC however, as the game concluded after a flyout to center.
 
UC continues action in Montgomery, AL on Saturday as they continue competition in the Faulkner Invitational. After completing the two-game series against Faulkner – beginning around 1:00 pm EST – the Patriots are set to battle #20 Truett McConnell on the diamond around 3:00 pm EST.
 
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