Bowling Green, KY- A big eighth inning propels the seventh-ranked Patriots past the 23rd-ranked Cumberland 15-11 to advance to tomorrow's championship game. UC tallied eight extra-base hits with four home runs to advance to 45-6 on the season.

Hunter Rigsby got the start and the win after pitching 6.0 innings, scattering one run over two hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. Offensively, Josh Simon led the way going 3-3 with a home run and a double for two RBIs. Charlie Muniz went 3-6 with a home run and a double with three RBIs, while Ryan Shavers went 2-4 with a homer and a double for three RBIs. Sujel Arias added a two-run homer, and Caden Petrey hit a double.

The Phoenix got on the board first after scoring a run in the bottom half of the first. The Pats answered in the second, scoring a run on a wild pitch to tie the game at 1-1.

In the third, the Pats took the 3-1 lead. With one out, Muniz singled through the left side. Then Arias stepped in the box and hit a towering shot to left field to take the 3-1 lead.

 
Later in the fourth, Shavers hit a solo shot over the left field fence to take the 4-1 lead.

 
After a few scoreless innings, the Patriots added another run by way of a Josiah Santiago RBI sacrifice fly.

Then in the eighth, UC got their bats going and got nine runs across to take the 14-1 lead. Evan St Claire led off with a walk, then Simon notched a single to put runners on the corners. Petrey followed with an RBI double down the left-field line. Shavers got a bases-clearing double to right center for the 8-1 lead. Shavers went to third on a wild pitch before Santiago got hit by a pitch and stole second. Raphy Almanzar then notched a two-RBI single to left center. Muniz followed with a bomb to right center to take the 12-1 lead. Max Harper got hit by a pitch, then a few plays later, Simon hit a homer to right field for the 14-1 lead.

In the top of the ninth, Cumberlands added one more run. With two outs, Almanzar notched a single. Then Muniz followed with an RBI double for the 15-1 lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Cumberland made a late rally to cut the lead down to 15-11, but the Pats got the last two outs to win the game and advance to the championship game for the third straight year.

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