Bowling Green, KY – Bryan Leef worked his magic at the plate, the homerun hero tallied his third of the game in the bottom of the ninth to walk-off the championship win. Cumberlands swept the regular-season and tournament honors with the 11-10 win over Freed-Hardeman.
In five plate appearances, the center fielder saw all three of his hits go over the outfield wall. Through the tournament, Leef recorded an impressive five homers, at least one in every single game.
The win brings the Woody Hunt Baseball Championship Trophy to Williamsburg, the first time the Patriots have taken the tournament crown since 2017, when UC also won the tournament in three games. Cumberlands took both the regular-season and tournament honors in the same season for the first time since 2004. This is only the third time in program history the Patriots secured the tournament trophy.
Homeruns were the answer the Patriots needed to complete an 8-1 comeback against the Lions. In addition to Leef,
Pedro Nazario went yard twice and
Over Torres went opposite field once. The trio of bats combined for 10 of the 11 runs batted in.
Holding the Lions at bay,
Chipper Korbacher recorded his best appearance on the hill as a Patriot. In four innings of work, the freshman allowed Freed-Hardeman one hit, no walks and no runs, dropping four on strikes. He put the Lions down 1-2-3 in the seventh and eighth innings as the game remained tied, earning his firs collegiate win with the walk-off.
The opposing bats scattered eight runs across the first three innings of play against the Patriots. Torres responded with his solo shot to right field in the opening inning, but the Pats would not mount enough momentum for a comeback until the third.
Down 8-1 on the score line, the Patriots scored nine unanswered runs to take their first lead of the ball game. In the third, walks to
Kevin Rolon and Torres gave Leef runners on first and second. The senior stepped into the box and absolutely labeled a homerun to left field, cutting the lead to 8-4.
A massive fourth inning for the Patriots nodded the game even at eight. Nazario got the runs started with a crucial solo blast to left. Rolondo Rodriguez poked a single into right field; courtesy runner
Kevin Perez landed on second after a wild pitch.
Ray Villanueva switched places with the runner on an RBI double slapped to right-center field to score Perez. Leef launched a monster game-tying homer to right center field.
The Patriots took their first lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. A
Brian Garcia walk gave UC a baserunner; Nazario stepped in and notched his second homerun of the day. On a 1-2 count, Nazario went opposite field to give Cumberlands a 10-8 lead. On the other side of the frame, Freed-Hardeman used an RBI groundout and sacrifice fly to tie the game at ten each.
The Patriots will be hosting their third NAIA Opening Round bracket in Williamsburg next week, beginning on May 17. The NAIA will announce all national qualifiers and the teams coming to the 'Burg during Thursday's, May 13, selection show aired on their Facebook Page. Cumberlands earned the automatic berth for hosting, as well as for finishing as one of the top-two teams in the MSC Tournament.
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