McKenzie, TN – The No. 5 Patriots (22-4) clinched the first conference series of the season, with two wins over Bethel (19-5) on Saturday afternoon, at Wildcat Park. UC took the first game 3-1, with nine hits. In the second game, the Pats won in a 16-10 victory, collecting 16 hits.

No. 5 Cumberlands Narrowly Defeats Bethel, 3-1
Cesar Avila was the winning pitcher, improving to 4-0. After taking the start on the mound, the junior threw 11 strikeouts across 6.2 innings, while allowing only four hits and one run. For his fourth save of the season, Chipper Korbacher faced one batter and notched a ground out to defend the Patriot's lead.

Offensively, Evan St. Claire led UC, batting 3-for-4 with two RBIs off two singles. Third baseman, Caden Petrey, hit 1-for-4, with a solo homer.

Caden Petrey put the Patriots on the board, 1-0, with a solo home run to lead-off the second inning.

UC scored one more run in the top of the fourth frame to lead 2-0. Trent Prokes and Charlie Muñiz were both hit by pitches to reach base. Evan St. Claire singled to send Prokes across the plate.

Prokes singled to reach base and scored on another single from St. Claire, to lead 3-0 at the top of the sixth.

Bethel tacked their only run to trail 3-1, off an RBI triple.
 
No. 5 Cumberlands Blast Past the Wildcats, 16-10
On the mound, Knicko Billings pitched five full innings and moves to 3-0 on the season. He recorded five strikeouts and allowed five runs. Cooper Morgan entered for 1.2 innings, throwing one strikeout and allowing four runs. To close, Kailen Hamson threw four strikeouts over two innings, and allowed one run to score.

Recording an impressive performance at the plate, Max Harper went 4-for-6 with seven RBIs and three homers. The designated hitter, Charlie Muñiz batted 4-for-5 with four RBIs, three runs scored, and two home runs.  Evan St. Claire finished 3-for-6 with three RBIs and three plated runs.

UC jumped on the board in the top of the first, with a quick 3-0 lead. Evan St. Claire singled and advanced on a double laid down by Charlie Muniz. To score both runners, Max Harper knocked his first homer of the game.

The Wildcats responded with a home run to cut the deficit to 3-1, in the bottom of the same frame.

With four runs off one hit, the Pats extended their lead to 7-1. In the top of the second inning, Alec Gonzalez and Clay Shelton, who was substituted by pinch runner Jay Flynn, were hit by pitches. To load the bases, Christian Thompson was issued a walk. St. Claire advanced the base runners with an RBI single and reached second on an error, plating three runs. Harper brought St. Claire home with an RBI single.

In the bottom of two, Bethel added one run on a wild pitch, but still trailed 7-2.

The Patriots tacked on six runs off six hits in the top of the third frame. Jose Valentin started the inning with a single and was followed by a Gonzalez double. Shelton sent both runners home with a single. St. Claire notched a double and both base runners scored when Muñiz sent the ball out of the park. To finish the inning, Max Harper hit his second home run of the game.

Bethel scored two runs, 13-4, on an error and a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning.

UC answered with back-to-back homers in the top of five by Muñiz, the 55^th of his career, and Harper, to lead 15-4.

In the bottom of the same inning, the Wildcats tacked one run on for a score of 15-5 on a ground out to second base.

Christian Thompson singled and went home on an error from a double play, 16-5, in the top of the seventh.

Bethel plated four runs to trim the Patriots' lead to 16-9, in the bottom of the stretch.

Scoring the final run of the game, the Wildcats laid down an RBI single for an ending score of 16-10.

No. 5 UC will wrap up the Mid-South Conference series against Bethel on Sunday March 17^th at 1 p.m. CT.

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