Athens, TN – 11
th ranked Cumberlands fell short to fifth ranked Tennessee Wesleyan 12-7 on Wednesday afternoon. After a strong third inning from the Bulldogs as they scored eight runs, proved too be too much for the Patriots to overcome. UC falls to 12-4 on the season.
Patriots pitched seven players,
Bryan Juarez got the start and the loss as he pitched 2.0 innings giving up seven hits, six earned runs, two walks and one strikeout. He is now 1-1 on the season.
Corey Linz came in and pitched to four batters and allowed four hits and four runs.
Danny Valdes then got his first appearance of the season and gave up two walks and one run.
Garrett DeClue also got an appearance and pitched 2.2 innings. He only gave up two hits and a walk with a strikeout. Jake Kmeicik,
Walter Hernandez, and
Caleb Plummer all came in and pitched an inning a piece.
Charlie Muniz led the way offensively for the Pats, going 2-4 with a homer and a double with two RBIs.
Sean Cheely went 1-4 with a leadoff homerun and a stolen base.
Cheely got the game going, as he hit a leadoff first pitch homer over the center field wall, for the 1-0 start.
After the Bulldogs returned the favor to tie the game in the next half inning. They would take a 4-1 lead headed into the top of the third. Then with two outs
Raphy Almanzar stepped to the plate and hit a single to left field. With one on base, the hot hitting Muniz came in and hit his eighth homerun of the season, this time over the right field wall. This cut the lead to 4-3.
The Bulldogs took a 12-3 lead into the top of the fourth. Patriots were able to score one run as
Seth Benner hit an RBI single to left field, bringing home
Candido Encarnacion after he hit a leadoff single.
In the Patriots next at bat they continued to chip away at the lead as they scored two more runs.
Ernies Lozada notched a single up the middle, Cheely followed with walk. With two on, Almanzar got an RBI single, to bring home Lozada. Two batters later,
Sujel Arias got an RBI, from a sacrifice fly to right field. the score was then 12-6.
Later in the top of the ninth, after some scoreless innings. UC tried for one last rally. The inning started with three straight walks. Then with one out,
Ray Villanueva got an RBI sacrifice fly to center field to cut the lead to 12-7. The game would end on a strikeout.
The Patriots return home to take on RV Freed-Hardeman for a three-game series over the weekend, starting Friday March 4
th at 3 pm.
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