Williamsburg, KY – After Cumberlands and UT Southern split day one, 1-1, the two teams played two more games to close out the series. In a nine inning pitchers' duel, the Firehawks took game three, 1-0, but then the Patriots bounced back to win the final game 6-1.

Talli Burgess was once again lights out in the circle, going the complete nine innings for game three where she only gave up one run, struckout two and surrendered just two hits. Morgan Radford and Kaiti White combined in the fourth game, giving up six hits, one run and striking out one.

Emily Jasper led the team in hits, notching three. She also stole five bases on the day, three in the first game and two in the fianl, which marks the most she has stolen in back-to-back games in her career. Maddie Sickau hit her second homerun of the season, picking up two RBI on the day.  Katie Cheeseman and Tori Malone also notched RBI in game two.

GAME FOUR: CUMBERLANDS OUTSCORES FIREHAWKS, 6-1
After going scoreless in the first game of the day, the Patriots came back to put the most runs they have had in a Mid-South Conference play this season.

Through the first three innings, the Firehawks were limited to just three hits. After their second in the top of the third, the runner tried to steal second, but Paxton Hoop threw out the runner, which jumpstarted the offense a half inning later.

Cumberlands got on the board first, putting up three runs in the third. With Hailey Wood on second and Jasper on first with two away, Cheeseman dropped a ball into right field. UT Southern tried to throw Wood out at the plate, but a wild throw allowed her to score easily and let Jasper cross the plate. The Firehawks then tried to gun down Cheeseman at second, but their throw went into right field, sending her around third and into home for the 3-0 advantage.

In the fifth, the Firehawks got their one run of the game, off two hits and a hit batter. But then UC rallied right back to make their lead even bigger than before.

Jasper singled and then stole not just second base, but third as well, marking her fifth swiped bag on the day. Two batters later, Sickau crushed the ball to left field for her second homerun of the season. The four bagger gave UC the 5-1 lead.

Ensuring the game was out of reach for UT Southern, the Patriots added one more run in the sixth. A leadoff single from Emily Bryant was followed up with a sacrifice bunt from Hoop. With Bryant in scoring position, Malone singled to left field for the RBI, making the score, 6-1.

UC ended the game with a one, two, three inning to split their MSC home opening series 2-2.

GAME THREE: UT SOUTHERN WINS IN EXTRAS, 1-0 (9 INNINGS)
For the second game this season, UC needed extra innings to decide the winner. Defensively, the Patriots showed up time and time again. In the nine-inning contest, five times Cumberlands sent Tennessee Southern down in order. Burgess faced 31 batters, recording 16 flyouts and nine groundouts while keeping her pitch count under 100 at 95.

The Patriots had plenty of opportunities to score a run, stranding 10 base runners. In the second inning, UC had the bases loaded from three walks, but could not get ay of them across.

Then in the third inning Jasper and Cheeseman got on from a hit by pitch and a walk respectively. The two then had the double steal putting them at second and third with just one out, but UC could not get the ball out of the infield leaving them both on base with the third out was recorded.

The Firehawks only had two hits in the game, but they used one of them in the ninth to take the 1-0 lead. After the leadoff batter got onboard, UTS got a sacrifice bunt down and singled to right field to score. In the bottom of the ninth the Patriots got a pair of runners on from walks, but once again they were left.

The split gave the Patriots a 14-8 (3-3) record on the season and puts UT Southern at 7-7 (2-2).

Cumberlands will continue MSC play as they travel to Lebanon, TN for a four game series with the Phoenix of Cumberland. Game one on March 11 will start at 2PM ET live video for the games available here and live stats here.

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