Emerson, GA – Traveling south to combat the wet weather that has pounded the region over the last week, the Patriot Baseball team would enter the Lake Point Sports Complex today as they faced the Rams of Bluefield College in a doubleheader. Behind two impressive starts as well as solid offensive output, the Patriots would come away with a pair of wins on Saturday by scores of 6-5 and 15-0, extending their winning streak to nine and marking a milestone for Head Coach Brad Shelton.

Game one starter Zach Hurley has been very impressive in his previous two starts this year. Another solid start from the senior would give the Patriots the effort they need for another win. The Patriot offense was strong early in this one. In the first, a pair of singles from Orley Arellano and Bryan Leef coupled with a pair of Rams' errors would plate two runs for UC, giving them a 2-0 lead. Robbie Stroub added to the lead in the second with his first home run of the season, a solo shot deep to center field, to extend the lead to 3-0.

After reaching on a walk to start the third inning, Raudy Martinez would steal second before coming home to score on another Bluefield error, making it 4-0 Cumberlands. Martinez would make it hurt in the fourth with two down. Arellano would single and Martinez would follow with a two-run home run, his first of the year, to give the Patriots a 6-0 advantage.

Hurley would scatter six hits over the first four innings of the game, but would keep the Rams scoreless through four. In the fifth, Bluefield would strike for their first run of the game on an RBI single to cut the lead to 6-1. In the sixth, the Rams begin to attempt their rally, plating three runs on three hits including a two-run home run from Carlos Torres to make it 6-4 Patriots entering the seventh.

The Patriots would turn to their bullpen as Moise Carrasco would enter the game in a save situation. Although he would give up a RBI single in the frame, it would be all the Rams could get as the Patriots would earn the one-run win. Hurley would get the win going six innings allowing four runs on 12 hits and a walk while fanning five. Carrasco received the save after allowing just one run on a pair of hits while striking out one.

Josh Avila would get the ball to start game two and would have a career night on the hill while getting plenty of offensive support from his teammates. UC would begin in the first as Arellano would go deep again, this time a two-run home run for his fourth of the season to give UC a 2-0 lead. In the second, after a leadoff double from Jose Rojas, Rolando Rodriguez would add to the home run party, sending a two-run shot over the left field fence to start the inning. UC added five more runs in the frame on two more hits to make it 9-0 after two.

A pair of RBI groundouts added two more runs in the third for UC before getting things going again in the fourth. Kevin Rolon hit a sacrifice fly in the inning while Marquis Orozco would drive in a run with a RBI triple to make it 13-0 Patriots. In the sixth as UC began to go to its bench, four singles from Rodriguez, Leef, Rolon, and Orozco along with a sacrifice fly from Britton Elmore would bring home two more runs to give UC a 15-0 lead.

Avila would take that offensive output and coast in his outing, scattering four hits and a walk over seven innings of work allowing no runs and matching a career-high 12 strikeouts in UC's 15-0 win. The victory in game two notched Head Coach Brad Shelton his 800^th career win over his 24 seasons as a head coach in both junior college and the NAIA ranks.

Cumberlands returns to the diamond at the Lake Point Sports Complex on Sunday, February 24^th as they finish out the four-game series with the Bluefield College Rams. First pitch in game one is slated for 1 pm.

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