Williamsburg, KY – For the third straight season, the #24 UC softball team begins Mid-South Conference play with a win. The Patriots took the first of a three-game series over the Cumberland Phoenix, 4-1.
For the second straight game,
Bailey Turnbow recorded two RBI, with today coming off a bases clearing triple.
Carly Oliver also earned a triple and led the team with two hits.
In the circle
Kaiti White and
Talli Burgess combined for just three hits against and only one run. White got the start, going 2.2 innings with two hits in 12 batters faced. Burgess entered the game in the third and was lights out, striking out four batters and limiting the Phoenix to a single hit.
White began the game with three straight outs in the first.
Hailey Wood led the UC offense off with a walk and a stolen base. Oliver followed it up with an infield single and then both Wood and Oliver advanced in the next at-bat. With runners at second and third,
Emily Bryant squared around for the bunt, scoring Wood and landing safely at first.
Maddie Sickau was the next batter and she sailed the ball to centerfield scoring Oliver from third to put the Pats up 2-0.
Both teams went three up, three down in the second and then in third the Phoenix earned back-to-back hits to score a run and make it a 2-1 game.
UC's offense got going again in the fourth putting up two more runs. Bryant got on base and Sickau followed it up with a single up the middle to bring up Turnbow. The junior drove the ball to the gap in right center to bring in both runners and slide in safely at third base. The hit extended the lead to 4-1.
In the next frame, the Phoenix had a runner on first and one out. Their runner tried to steal second, but the arm of
Meryn Livingston was too quick, gunning the runner down at second and the tag applied by Oliver.
Oliver then tripled in the sixth inning, but UC was unable to bring her around to score, keeping it 4-1.
Burgess got her first strikeout in the sixth, getting the final batter looking. The Pats then loaded the bases with no outs, but could not pickup any more runs and headed into the final inning.
The Phoenix earned a lead off single to left field but then it was all Burgess. The Crandall, GA native got the next three batters out swinging, retiring the side.
Cumberlands is now 11-1 on the season and Cumberland U drops to 4-3 this year. The two teams will be back tomorrow, February 24 for the final two games of the series. The first game is slated for a 12PM ET first pitch.
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