Williamsburg, KY – Cumberlands opened their four-game series against Cleary with a pair of wins thanks to 13 runs and giving up just two runs. The victories improve UC's record to 16-4, matching their best start in program history from 2002.

Homers from Emily Bryant and Hailey Wood led the UC offense marking it eight games in a row a Patriots hitter has hit a ball out. Bryant hit .800 across the two games picking up 3 RBI and tallying eight total bases. Meryn Livingston also recorded a trio of RBI from two hits, one of which was a double.

The Cumberlands pitching staff once again shutdown the opposing batters who put up just ten hits in 13 innings. Talli Burgess and Kaci Goedde got the starts today compiling nine strikeouts in 10.1 innings. Both games featured Kaiti White in relief, earning two saves where she limited the Cougars' offense to a single hit while striking out three batters.
 
GAME ONE: CUMBERLANDS RUN-RULES CLEARY, 10-2 (6 innings)
Emily Jasper led things off in the bottom of the first inning with a single to shallow left-center. She swiped second to get into scoring position. Livingston sent a ball to right field that drove in Jasper for UC to go up 1-0.

After Burgess fanned three Cougars across two innings the Patriots got their offense going again. Katie Cheeseman and Bryant got on from a walk and hit-by-pitch. Livingston cleared the bases with a double to extend the lead to 3-0.

Once again, Cheeseman ignited the offense singling to center in the fifth inning. On the first pitch she saw, Bryant sent her third home run of the season to left-center for two runs. With two outs, Madison Huber got to second base from an error and Tori Malone traded places with her to get an RBI double to push UC up 5-0.

Cleary answered back in the top of the sixth inning picking up two runs off three hits and an error. The inning ended from a line drive double play that Bryant grabbed to strand a runner.

With the score at 5-2, UC made sure that CU's offense stayed off the field, plating five runs in the sixth inning. A lead off triple from Wood to center field kickstarted the offense and Cheeseman got on from a walk to put runners on the corners. Cleary's catcher tried to pick off Wood when Cheeseman stole second, but she sent the throw  to the outfield allowing Wood to score. Bryant put runners back on the corners with a single but advanced to second on a stolen base. Maddie Sickau followed it up with a single of her own to score Cheeseman and make the game, 8-2. With the bases loaded another run would score from a fielder's choice. Acacia Gray stepped to the plate with the game winning run on third base. She sent a line drive to center field to score Sickau and finish the game in six innings, 10-2.
 
GAME TWO: CUMBERLANDS SHUTS OUT CLEARY, 3-0
Neither team scored a run through the first 4.5 innings. Goedde was able to keep Cleary's hitters off the scoreboard with two innings of retiring the side in order. She recorded a career high four strikeouts without issuing a free base and giving up just five hits.

The UC bats got going in the bottom of the fifth inning. Wood was in an 0-1 count when she sent a no-doubt home run to center field, marking her second of the season. Jasper followed it up with bunt single and moved to second on a stolen base, her team best, ninth swiped bag of the year. Bryant sent a ball to left field scoring Jasper and doubling the lead to 2-0.

With a runner on first in the top of the sixth inning, White came into relief work for the Patriots. A groundout to Sickau at shortstop had the Cleary runner thinking she could stretch over to third base, but the precise throw from Malone to Bryant threw her out for the 6-3-5 double play. White struck out the next batter looking to keep the shutout.

Cumberlands added to their lead in the bottom of the sixth inning after Wood walked. She stole second base and the ball bounced around the backstop to allow her to move to third base. Jasper hit a hard line drive to the second baseman that scored Wood and gave her the single for the 3-0 lead.

White finished off the Cougars' hitters with two strikeouts extending UC's program best 14^th straight win, all of which have came at home.

Cleary and Cumberlands will return to the UC Softball Complex for a pair of games on Sunday, March 7. The games are slated for 12 PM and 2 PM with lives stats available here and the live video will be on the UC Sports Network here.

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