Campbellsville, KY – In the opening double header between the (RV) Cumberlands Patriots and the #12 Campbellsville Tigers, UC won both by score of 7-2 and 4-2 respectively. The Patriots never trailed in the games and became the first team to win two Mid-South Conference games against the Tigers this season.

The UC offense exploded for 21 hits, with six of them being extra base hits. Coming into the contests Campbellsville had recorded 56 doubles for eighth most in the NAIA, but they went without an extra base hit in the 14 innings against the Patriots today.

The 11 RBI between the two days came off the bats of four hitters. Katie Cheeseman recorded four RBI on the day off a team high four hits. Emily Bryant, Hailey Wood and Maddie Sickau each had three hits and combined for four doubles and seven RBI.

The UC pitching staff silenced the Tigers at the plate limiting them to just four runs. Kaiti White went the distance in the first game where she struck out seven batters, tying her season best. Talli Burgess started game two and then had relief from Lindsey Shope and Kaci Goedde striking out two batters and walking only one.

The defense was also firing on all cylinders recording three double plays in the two games. Two were 4-6-3 double plays featuring Cheeseman, Sickau and Tori Malone and the other one had Bryant step on third base and throw the hitter out at first.

GAME ONE: PATRIOTS DOWN TIGERS, 7-2
Cheeseman got her first hit of the day in the top of the first inning from an infield single. Sickau moved her over to third off a double and Cheeseman was then scored off a hit to the right side of the field from Bryant.

The Patriots took the 1-0 lead they had through the first inning and made it 4-0 in the second. Meryn Livingston provided the spark with a single to centerfield. Madison Huber launched the ball to right field putting runners on at first and second. The bases were then loaded off a single from Wood to third base. Cheeseman then recorded her fourth double of the season sending the 1-0 pitch to deep left field clearing the bases.

The Tigers picked up their first run of the game in the third inning from a hit-by pitch and back-to-back singles.

The 4-1 lead would not take long to extend, since UC picked up three more in the fourth inning. Consecutive singles off the bats of Huber and Jasper put speed on the bases. Wood sent a ball to left field to bring home her fellow outfielders on a two-RBI double. Later in the inning Sickau knocked the ball over the centerfielder's head for her second double of the day to bring in a run.

Despite a runner getting on from an error, White stayed composed and struck out the side in the fourth inning with two of them from called strike threes. The only other run that was scored in the ballgame was in the bottom of the sixth for Campbellsville from a sacrifice fly.

The 7-2 win was the biggest win the Patriots have had over the Tigers since beating them 7-1 in 2004. The five-run deficit is the third largest for Campbellsville this season.

GAME TWO: CUMBERLANDS OUTLASTS CAMPBELLSVILLE, 4-2
Once again Cheeseman was the spark for the offense, singling in the top of the first. Heads up baserunning from Cheeseman got her to third base. With two outs, Bryant made sure to score Cheeseman, swinging at the first pitch she saw to deep right field for the double.

In similar fashion, Cumberlands scored three runs in the third to make their lead 4-0. Livingston once again led off the second with a single, this time to right field. With two outs, Jasper got herself a single to center field to put runners at first and second. Wood laced a ball into right field and raced around the bases for the two-RBI triple, her third three bagger of the year.

Burgess recorded four innings of scoreless softball for the Tigers limiting them to just four hits. The fifth inning was when Campbellsville got on the scoreboard, plating two. Back-to-back bunt singles followed by two singles pushed the score to 4-2. Shope entered the game before the second run scored but she kept the deficit low by striking out the last batter of the inning.

Shope gave up just two more hits in her 1.1 innings until Goedde took over for the final 1.1 innings which saw her give up one hit and earn the save, the first of her career.

With the game ending in a 4-2 victory for the Patriots this marks the first time UC has won a doubleheader against CU since 2002. Coming into the games Campbellsville was averaging 9.22 hits per game and earning 6.41 runs per game. In the two games against the Patriots, they were held to 7.0 hits per game and two runs per game.

The two teams will battle out the final pair of games in the series on Saturday, April 3 with game one starting at 12 PM. Live stats for the games can be found here with live video found here.

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