Campbellsville, KY - Across 14 innings, the UC defense only gave up one run in the final two contests of the three game series against #23 Campbellsville. The third ranked Patriots continued their hot streak in Mid-South Conference play, sweeping the Tigers to be 13-0 in conference. On the final day of the series, UC won 1-0 and then 9-1 and are now 33-3 on the season.

Cumberlands is now 10-1 against ranked opponents this season and the sweep against the Tigers is the first time they have been swept in conference play since 2007. Over the last three seasons, UC has a 6-3 record against the Tigers including two run-rule wins. The Pats have outscored them 52-25 over those three years.

The UC pitching duo of Kaiti White and Talli Burgess was lights out. Both pitched complete games and earned the win. White got the ball in the first game and gave up just three hits, with none of them being for extra base hits. Burgess also limited the Tigers to just three hits as well in her seven innings. She gave up just one run to improve to 14-0 on the season. Burgess struckout 12 batters for her new career best in a single game.

The offense had all 10 of their RBI come from six different hitters across the pair of games. UC also had 18 hits coming from nine different batters with a trio of hits coming from Carly Oliver, Makenzie Keatts and Mackenzie Pawlak. Oliver along with Morgan Radford, Bailey Turnbow and Paxton Hoop all recorded a pair of RBI in the contests.
 

GAME TWO: CUMBERLANDS SHUTS OUT CAMPBELLSVILLE, 1-0 

The offense was limited by both teams in the contest, but UC would record the first hit of the game in the second.  The Pats then tallied two hits in the third to score the lone run of the game. With two outs on the board, Oliver got the offense going with a single up the middle. Keatts kept it going with a single up the middle as well to put two runners on. The Tigers walked Emily Bryant to load the bases for Maddie Sickau. The senior hit the ball hard to third, which was too hot to handle allowing Oliver to score.

With the 1-0 lead for Cumberlands, Campbellsville got their second hit of the game in the bottom of the third, but White also recorded her lone strikeout of the contest and did not give up any runs.

The Tigers earned just one more hit in the bottom of the fifth, but never got a runner past second in the game. UC recorded six hits in the contest and had their best chance to add another run in the sixth. Pawlak roped the ball down the left field line for the standup double. They advanced her to third, but UC could no get her across. 

Campbellsville went down in order in both the sixth and seventh, allowing UC to win 1-0. The shutout marks the 10th of the season for UC which is tenth most in the NAIA.

GAME THREE: PATRIOTS DEFEAT THE TIGERS, 9-1

In the final game of the series, the UC offense came alive. The team put up two runs in their opening frame off three hits. Sickau was walked and then advanced to third off a deep fly ball from Keatts that resulted in a double. Two batters later, Turnbow followed it up with a single to left field, scoring both Sickau and Keatts for the 2-0 Cumberlands lead. 

Burgess then got to work in the circle. She got the first batter to groundout and then fanned the next two batters for a three up, three down frame. 

After no runs for UC in the second, Burgess gave up her first hit of the game, but then struckout the next batter swinging and turned it over to her offense who added a run.

In the top of the third, Keatts singled to left center and moved all the way to third from the next two at-bats. Pawlak stepped to the plate next and recorded an infield single that allowed Keatts to score for the 3-0 lead. 

Another three straight outs started by a strikeout in the inning from Burgess then turned into another offensive inning for Cumberlands. Hailey Wood and Hoop both had a hard hit ball that the Tigers were unable to field resulting in Wood racing around to score. Taylor Green came in to run for Hoop at second. Radford brought Green in for another run with a single up the middle to make it 5-0 in favor of UC.

The Tigers answered back with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. But then Burgess really turned it on. She struckout the side off two swinging and one looking and then gave the ball back to her offense who once again put runs on the board.

Bryant led the inning off with a single up the middle and then stole second to be in scoring position with two outs. A walk to Wood put two runners on for Hoop who launched the ball into left field, scoring Bryant. Radford stepped to the plate with two runners on and then cleared the bases from a two RBI double to left center, making the UC lead now 7-1.

Burgess kept her strikeout streak going, sending the next three batters in order down on strikes. This brought the Crandall, GA native's strikeouts to six in a row. She then struckout the second batter of the sixth for her 11th K of the game, marking her new best, but she did not stop there.

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