Williamsburg, KY – Cumberlands baseball defends their home field for the seventh time this season in a 7-6 victory over #11 IU Southeast on Monday evening. The Patriots move to 15-1 with the help of multi-hit games by Jose Rojas and Ray Villanueva.
 
Six of the Patriots nine hits went for extra bases in the nine-inning game, registered as a trio of doubles and three homers as well. Rojas tallied one apiece in his three hits of the day, including his first home run of the season. Villanueva meanwhile went 2-3 on the day with a sacrifice fly and a double, batting in a pair in the contest.
 
Recording the win, Chase Whitaker saw 2.2 innings of work in relief from the mound, giving up only a pair of hits to ten batters faced, not earning a run. Vathroder cleaned up with his third save of 2021.
 
The Patriots plated their first run of the evening after back-to-back doubles down the right field line and into the corner. Brian Garcia led of the inning with the first shot down the line followed by Villanueva to score his teammate.
 
A two-run homer by the Grenadiers in the opening inning put the Patriots at a disadvantage early, however. Another run crossed for the opposing bats in the third inning too to put Cumberlands facing a 3-1 deficit into the bottom of the inning.
 
Despite the two-run blemish, Walter Hernandez had a hot hand and delivered all three outs on strikes in the first inning, adding two more in the second. He rounded out his 3.1-inning outing with seven K's delivered.
 
Candido Encarnacion lit up the scoreboard and flipped the lead on the score line with a three-run blast over the left field wall on his first pitch in. Rojas slugged a double back to the right-field corner; B. Garcia walked his way to first. Both players scored on the third-baseman's long ball.
 
Bryan Leef noted his lone hit of the day in the same inning, advancing on Rojas' double before batted in on Villanueva's sacrifice fly.
 
Whitaker stepped up to the hill on the other side; Patriots with the 5-3 advantage into the fourth inning. Two Grenadiers threatened on the base path, but the Patriots turned a double play to retire the inning via Pedro Nazario, Kevin Rolon and Rojas.
 
Nazario followed his defensive hand with an offensive blast. The second baseman sent a rocket over the left field fence as the lead-off batter for his eighth home run of the year.
 
IU Southeast responded with a single run in the fifth to narrow the margin to one run. Again threatening an inning later with a runner on, Over Torres delivered a laser from right field to Encarnacion at third to catch a runner stretching and retire the side.
 
Patriots were able to fend off the opposing bats despite the Grenadiers continuing to inch the score margin closer to within one run in the seventh and eighth innings. Up 6-5 in the bottom of the seventh, lead-off hitter Rojas went yard for the first time this season to push the Patriots lead yet again.
 
Vathroder notched only a single strikeout in relief but held IU Southeast scoreless in the final one and a third innings. He collected his third save of the season with the appearance.
 
It will be Milligan coming to town to Doyle-Buhl Stadium on Tuesday afternoon for a mid-week doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 2 PM; both games will be streamed on the UC Sports Network.
 
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