Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Marion, NC – Baseball claimed two more wins to open their weekend at Big League Camp in North Carolina, knocking off both Montreat and Midway 8-3. The Patriots move to 6-0 after noting 14 runs scored in the first two innings combined between the games.
 
Cumberlands def. Montreat, 8-3
Rolando Rodriguez and Brian Garcia both went 2-3 in the first game of the day, combining for three RBI as well. On the mound, Colton Easterwood picked up his first win of the season with five innings of work.
 
Easterwood gave up a hit to the first batter of the day but pitched consecutive strikeouts to close out the inning. Three Ks to retire the side led to nine on the day overall, the right-hander's 10th game of his career with seven or more strikeouts.
 
The Patriots could not be held off the board in the first inning. With five hits, four of which for extra bases, Cumberlands scored five runs in the inning for an early lead. Four of the runs were scored with two outs as well.
 
Pedro Nazario and Bryan Leef opened action with doubles each; Jose Rojas brought the first run home on an infield groundout. Rodriguez noted an RBI double deep down the left line while Garcia tripled to score a pair of teammates.
 
Despite no homeruns noted, seven of the 10 Cumberlands hits of the day went for extra bases. The bat-Pats tallied six doubles against the Cavaliers.
 
In the second, Leef noted his second double of the day to score one run, giving the Patriots a 6-0 lead. The senior went 2-4 on the day overall with one RBI and one run scored. Rojas grounded out again in the second inning but collected his second RBI of the day with Over Torres scoring the seventh run.
 
Torres claimed his only RBI of the day with a two-base punch to shallow left. Garcia, having previously doubled as well, scored on the ball.
 
Easterwood took the win after five innings of scoreless baseball for the Patriots. Reliever Hector Abreu, the final pitcher of the day, gave up only one hit and rang up two. Montreat was able to put three runs on the board in the final inning while the Patriots left them with no chance at a comeback.
 
Cumberlands def. Midway, 8-3
After an 0-4 outing against Montreat, Rojas picked up the pace in game two with a 2-4 showing against the Eagles. He batted in two runners while scoring twice when on base himself.
 
On the hill, Thomas Gutierrez picked up his second win of the season. He rallied six strikeouts in five innings of work, allowing only three hits.
 
Pedro Nazario tripled to deep right as the lead-off batter in game two, setting the tone for the Patriots offense. He scored the lone run in the first inning, as Rojas reached on an infield error. Cumberlands fell out of the inning however with the bases loaded.
 
That did not slow the Patriots offense though. Kevin Rolon, second batter of the inning, sent a homer over the center field fence on the fourth pitch delivered. It was his first of the season, the team's seventh.
 
With two runners on, Rojas singled to shallow right to plate Nazario. A walk followed to load the bases for Rodriguez. The Cuban's lone hit of the game was a rocket to clear the bases, his second homerun of the season and team's first grand slam. With the second inning bump, the Patriots controlled the game 7-0.
 
Candido Encarnacion noted a double in the third but the Patriots did not get moving again until the fourth. Rojas found himself on base after a single to right field. He made a two-base dash on another single before heading to the dugout with a run tallied thanks to a sacrifice fly by Rodriguez to deep left.
 
The Patriots would hang onto their comfortable lead until the final inning, when the Eagles looked to make a comeback as well. Three more runs were allowed before Jake Kampen dropped the final batter on strikes, his third strikeout of his appearance on the rubber.
 
The Patriots sit 6-0 on the season, noting a stellar 57 run-count through the stretch. In 2020, the Patriots noted 50 runs even after the eighth game of the season, and later their 100th run of the season in game 17.
 
Cumberlands baseball returns to action tomorrow, February 20 for another pair of seven-inning games. The Patriots will see Northwestern Ohio at 2 PM followed by Point Park at 8 PM.
 
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