Box Score Williamsburg, KY – Opening the home season, Cumberlands baseball defeated the Union College Bulldogs on Wednesday at Doyle Buhl Stadium, 5-3. The Patriots build off of a perfect weekend, moving to 4-0 early in the season.
 
Pedro Nazario, Over Torres, and Bryan Leef all notched solo homeruns for the Patriots to lead them to victory. Leef led the team with the big hit, as well as a 2-4 day with one RBI and a pair of scores. Jose Rojas was the only other Patriot in the line-up with a multi-hit game.
 
Bryan Juarez got the call on the mound for a season debut, earning the win. The junior right-hander gave up just one run on five hits in five innings of work. Garrett Vathroder rounded out Cumberlands' bullpen to record a save as UC held off a late-game comeback attempt from Union. Vathroder dished two critical strikeouts to close out the game with the tying run at the plate
 
The Patriots did not take long to get their offense cooking. Nazario drove a deep shot to right field over the wall on the very first Union pitch. The homerun was Nazario's first of the year and got Cumberlands out to a quick 1-0 lead.
 
Union got onto the board in the third, sneaking in an RBI groundout to tie the game at one. Juarez pulled through in the inning however, stranding three Bulldogs on bases. The junior followed in suit in the fourth by again stranding three runners on; he recovered after tossing a walk to load the bags.
 
Torres got the hitting party started again with a solo homerun to right-center again to give Cumberlands a 2-1 advantage. The homerun was Torres' first of the season after slugging out the first pitch of the inning. Leef caught the third baseman napping; the outfielder bunted his way aboard for an infield single. Once on first, he used his speed to steal second base.
 
The bat-Pats extended their lead to two with Rojas' base hit to score Leef from second. Ray Villanueva slapped a base hit to left field to score his teammate.
 
Cumberlands extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a monster homerun. Leef recorded his team-leading third homerun of the season when he took Green deep to left-center field. Pats held onto a 5-1 lead after five innings.
 
Chase Whitaker debuted in the seventh inning, striking out one on the side. After a pair of base hits, Cumberlands got out of the inning after Candido Encarnacion turned a beautiful double play, 5-4-3.
 
Before the Patriots moved to the final frame, a pair of eighth-inning doubles cut their lead to 5-3.
 
Union threatened again an inning later with two on and no outs. Vathroder was called on to close the game; he struck out his first opposing batter looking. Rolando Rodriguez helped his team defensively, making a snap throw to Encarnacion to catch a runner stealing third. Vathroder followed to drop the threatening, tying run at the plate on strikes to close the game.
 
The Patriots weekend slate is still to be determined, however they are still scheduled to make the trip to Athens, TN to meet reigning NAIA champions Tennessee Wesleyan on Tuesday.
 
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