Pikeville, KY – To open the series against the Pikeville Bears, Cumberlands put up a combined 10 runs in 13 innings to take both games. For game one, UC won 1-0 and then exploded for a 9-0 victory in just five innings for game two.

The Patriots combined for 18 hits across the two games from eight different hitters with all eight of them at least getting a pair of hits. Both Maddie Sickau and Katie Cheeseman recorded a trio of hits to lead the team. Emily Jasper paced the team in RBI and stolen bases earning two for each. Abby Whelan had one of her best days at the plate as a Patriot, racking up two hits, earning a RBI and scoring herself once. She was one of three hitters along with Sickau and Mackenzie Pawlak to pick up a double.

In the circle, UC was nearly unhittable. The staff of Kaiti White, Talli Burgess and Morgan Radford only gave up seven hits. No one gave up a run and they combined for 10 K's, led by Radford with five. White and Radford each got the win for their eighth and 12^th of the season respectively, while Burgess recorded the save, her fourth of the year.

GAME ONE: PATRIOTS OUTLAST THE BEARS, 1-0
The only run for either team in the game came across in the top of the fourth inning. With one out on the board, Tori Malone sent the ball through the left side for a single. After another out was recorded, Hailey Wood launched the ball to centerfield, pushing Malone to third. Jasper stepped to the plate and hit a grounder in the infield and Malone took off for home on contact. The Bears tried to throw out Malone, but she was too quick, giving UC the 1-0 lead.

The UC bats were hot all game, recording seven hits in seven innings, but they left 10 runners on base. Despite not pushing more across, Cumberlands secured the win off lockdown defense and lights out pitching. In the bottom of the second inning, Cumberlands recorded a double play, their first of the day to keep Pikeville at bay. In the fourth inning, UPike looked like they might tie the game up, getting a runner on from a walk. The next batter sailed a ball to left field for a double and the runner on first looked to score. However, Jasper spiraled the perfect throw to Meryn Livingston at the plate, keeping the Bears off the board. In that same frame White recorded two strikeouts swinging.

For the bottom of the fifth, the Bears had the bases loaded, which brought in Burgess for relief. She got the first batter to flyout to Wood in center, holding the 1-0 lead. Burgess then sent down the next six batters she faced in a row, not conceding a hit. The Crandall, Ga native capped the win off with two K's to end the game for her fourth save of the season, which is just one less than she finished the 2021 season with.
 
GAME TWO: CUMBERLANDS RUN-RULES PIKEVILLE, 9-0 (5 INNINGS)
For the second game of the day, UC wasted no time getting on the board, plating two in their first at-bats. Jasper utilized her speed for an infield single and then swiped second. During Sickau's at-bat, Jasper moved to third off a passed ball and then Sickau made sure to bring her home off a single through the right side. Sickau earned her second stolen base of the year to take second. Bryant walked and Cheeseman got a single to load the bases for Whelan who launched the ball to deep center for the sac fly, scoring Sickau to double the UC lead at 2-0.

In the bottom of the first inning, UC recorded their 26^th double play of the season. With a runner on first, the UPike batter flew out to Pawlak in right field. She overthrew first trying to get the runner, but Paxton Hoop was backing up the throw, caught the ball and tossed to Malone at first for the 9-2-3 double play.

UC got back on the scoreboard in the fourth inning and in the meantime, Radford struckout a trio of UPike hitters, including one looking. In the fourth frame, Whelan led it off with a double to left field that was just inches away from being a home run. Hoop was the next batter and got on from a UPike error. Pawlak sent the ball through the left side allowing Whelan to score and moving Hoop to third. Wood followed it up with a RBI single of her own. Knowing they had speed on the base paths, Pawlak took off for third and Wood advanced to second for the double steal. Their efforts were rewarded off a single from Jasper that brought Pawlak around. Jasper took a big lead around first that baited the UPike defense to throw at her, allowing Wood to easily score and Jasper to go to second. To highlight one of the most swiped bases in a season, Jasper stole third for the third of the inning and her 42^nd of the season, making her one behind the single season record. With Jasper on third, Emily Bryant laced the ball through the right side to bring around the fifth run of the inning for the 7-0 UC lead.

Needing just one run for the run-rule in the fifth, UC scored two. Once again Whelan got on as the leadoff, this time with a single to left field. Taylor Green came in to pinch run and was moved to second off a Malone single. The pair scored off an error and a wild pitch respectively to make the score 9-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth.

Radford sealed the win with a popout, strikeout, and groundout. She only allowed three hits in her five innings. It marked her team best, sixth complete game of the season.

The two wins gives UC a 29-14 overall record and a 15-7 conference record. The Patriots will play two more games against Pikeville on Saturday, April 16 with game one starting at 12PM ET.
 
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