Williamsburg, KY – The Patriots concluded Day 2 of the Cumberlands Invite with a pair of wins over Trinity Christian (IL) and Cleary University (MI). UC's pitching staff combined for five strikeouts over 13 innings while their offense produced 13 runs on 20 hits. The Patriots sit at an overall record of 4-0 on the season.
GAME ONE: PATRIOTS DOMINATE TROLLS, 9-1
Cumberlands opened game one with Lindsey Shope in the circle, recording three quick outs before the Patriots moved to offense. In the bottom of the first, UC put the ball in play but was unable to spark the momentum. Shope continued to keep the Trolls at bay with three routine plays. In the bottom of the second, an Emily Bryant double to left field paired with a Bailey Turnbow RBI single up the middle put Cumberlands on the board early (1-0).
UC's defense continued to hold strong through the third inning. The bottom of the fourth was initiated by a Morgan Radford double down the line. A strong presence of plate discipline featured a walk from Carly Oliver to have runners in scoring position. Jade Gainer stepped up to the plate and blasted a three-run shot over the left field fence. The Patriots closed the fourth inning with a 4-0 lead over the Trolls.
In the top of the fourth, the Trolls tallied their first hit of the day but was quickly doubled up by a line drive back to Shope who fired it to Turnbow at first. The Patriots continued their offensive hot streak with another single from Turnbow followed by Shelby Radford capitalizing on errors from the Trolls to have runners, once again, in scoring position. Morgan Radford executed with a groundout to the right side of the field, sending Shelby Radford across the plate for a 5-0 lead.
Shope continued to deal in the circle, leaving the Trolls scoreless through five. In the bottom of the fifth, Amber Atkins tallied a single up the middle while pinch runner Cloe Smith swiped second to put a runner in scoring position. UC was unable to produce, sending it to the top of the sixth. The Trolls managed to get their first run of the day on the board to make the score 5-1. Talli Burgess came in for relief to get the Patriots out of the inning.
An electric finish was sparked by a Bryant double to left field and Turnbow legging out a bunt to put runners on the corners. Turnbow swiped second before a Morgan Radford single pushed another run across. A three-run moon shot from Oliver sealed the deal and gave the Patriots a 9-1 run rule victory over the Trolls.
GAME ONE LEADERS
Turnbow led the way offensively, going 3-3 at the plate with one RBI and two runs, while Bryant was 2-3 with one run. Morgan Radford was 2-3, tallying two RBI's and two runs rounded out by Oliver who was 1-3 with three RBI's and two runs.
Pitcher Shope was hitless through four innings, collecting her first win of the 2024 season. Shope tallied one strikeout and only allowed three hits through five innings.
GAME TWO: CUMBERLANDS TAKES DOWN COUGARS, 4-0
The Patriots continued to rally with a strong defensive streak, holding the Cougars to one hit while Kaitlyn Schofield recorded two strikeouts. The bottom of the first showcased a Jade Gainer double to left center paired with an Atkins RBI single up the middle to close the bottom of the first with a 1-0 UC advantage.
In the top of the second, the Cougars looked to attack with a sacrifice bunt and runners in scoring position but was unable to produce. With the Patriots at the plate, a single from Turnbow was paired with a fielder's choice from Aniyah White to put Turnbow in scoring position. Cumberlands was unable to add to their lead, sending it to the top of the third.
Both teams remained quiet on offense until the top of the fifth saw an offensive fire from the Cougars. A threat on the corners was quickly dissolved by a diving grab from Oliver in the 3-4 hole. The tides turned as the defensive spark translated to offense with a Jade Gainer triple to right center. Keatts legged out a RBI single to third followed by an Amber Gainer single and smart base running to move pinch runner Smith and Amber Gainer into scoring position. A timely two RBI single from Turnbow through the right side elevated UC's score 4-2 at the bottom of the fifth.
The sixth inning featured late efforts from the Cougars, but Schofield continued to dominate in the circle with UC's defense to back her. The Patriots closed the sixth with hard hits but were unable to add to their lead. Strong defensive efforts kept the Cougars at bay and secured a 4-0 victory for UC.
GAME TWO LEADERS
Jade Gainer led the way offensively, going 2-4 at the plate with two runs followed by Keatts going 2-3 at the plate with one RBI. Amber Gainer tallied two hits and one run while Turnbow rounded out with two hits and two RBIs.
Pitcher Schofield picked up her second win of the season after recording three strikeouts and only allowing three hits through four innings. Morgan Radford collected the save after tallying one strikeout over three innings.
UC will return to the UC Softball Complex in Williamsburg, KY on Tuesday, February 13th to face the Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs at 3:00 p.m. (EST).
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