Williamsburg, KY – UC Baseball came into Saturday needing just one win to capture their second straight Mid-South Conference Regular Season Title, but the Patriots added insurance to it. Cumberlands would take both games of the doubleheader against the Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson by scores of 13-2 in game one and 2-1 in game two to win the 2019 MSC Championship, improving their record to 43-6 on the year, 12-3 in MSC play, and securing the #1 seed in the MSC Tournament next week in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
 
Game One: Stroub and Avila Show Out on Senior Day
With fourteen seniors being recognized on Saturday in their final regular season games at home, a pair of seniors would show off big in game one. Starting pitcher Josh Avila had one of his most solid outings of the year, locking up his fourth complete game win of the year to improve to 6-2 on the season. Avila allowed a pair of earned runs on six hits and a walk while striking out eight in UC's victory over LWC.
 
Scoring began in the bottom of the second for the Patriots. A pair of bases loaded RBI walks to Marquis Orozco and Kevin Rolon would give UC an early 2-0 lead. Cumberlands would blow the game open though in the fourth. After a pair of singles from Orozco and Rolon to lead off the inning, senior Robbie Stroub would send a 1-2 pitch deep over the left field wall for a three-run home run, his tenth of the year, to give UC a 5-0 lead. Bryan Leef would not allow Stroub to be the only one to hit a long ball in the game though. With Orley Arellano standing at third after a single, a stolen base, and a passed ball allowing him to advance, Leef would smack a 2-1 pitch over the fence in left for his team leading 17^th home run of the year, this one a two-run shot, to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead.
 
The Blue Raiders would snap the shutout in the top of the sixth with an RBI sacrifice fly to make it 7-1. UC would respond though in the bottom of the frame with authority. With two down and the bases loaded, Orozco would draw his second RBI walk to make it 8-1 Pats. A two-run double from Kevin Rolon would follow, giving him three RBI on the day to make it 10-1 Patriots. After a pitching change for the Blue Raiders, Stroub would step to the plate with two on in scoring position. The 1-0 pitch would be driven deep into the stratosphere for Stroub's second three-run home run of the day, his 11^th home run of the season, giving him six RBI on the day and the Patriots a 13-1 advantage heading to the seventh, looking to end the game early due to run rule.
 
Lindsey Wilson would push one run across on an RBI single from Jed Arend, but Avila would cut it off there with back-to-back strikeouts to end the contest and give UC the 13-2 win over the Blue Raiders, locking up the MSC Regular Season Championship.
 
Game Two: Benz Bomb the Difference as Easterwood Shines
The second game of the doubleheader would be much more challenging for both teams as the starting pitchers would have themselves an old-fashioned dual. Both teams would muster one hit a piece through the first two innings before the Blue Raiders would take their first lead of the day in the third. There, Easterwood would get into a bit of a jam, walking a pair and hitting a batter to load the bases with one down. A sacrifice fly by Dillan Saunders would bring home a run, giving LWC the 1-0 lead.
 
Cumberlands would respond in the bottom of the inning though. A leadoff single from Orozco and double followed by Rolon would put two on in scoring position with no one down. A hard hit ball by catcher Rolando Rodriguez would be caught on the short hop by the third baseman as he would go home to get the out on the lead runner, putting runners on the corners with one away. Senior Orley Arellano would then come to the plate and hit his own sacrifice fly deep to left field, bringing Rolon across the plate to tie the game at 1-1.
 
The game would stay tied until the sixth inning. There, it was another senior who came up big in a clutch time for the Patriots. With two down, Bryan Benz would deposit an 0-1 pitch deep over the left field fence for his 17^th home run of the year, tying Leef for the team lead, to give UC a 2-1 lead.
 
Easterwood would allow one baserunner in the seventh, but would draw the final batter of the game to hit into a 5-4 fielder's choice to end the contest, giving UC the 2-1 win over the Blue Raiders and sending the crowd at Doyle Buhl Stadium home happy as the Patriots would sweep Lindsey Wilson and secure the #1 seed in the MSC Tournament.
 
The complete game win would go to Easterwood as he allowed just one earned run on one hit and four walks while fanning seven in his second complete game of the year to improve to 3-1 on the season.
 
The Patriots will now take the #1 seed in the MSC Tournament and await to find out their opponent in the first round of the tournament. They will face the winner of the #4/#5 matchup on Thursday, May 2^nd at Bowling Green Park at 6 pm central time.
 
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