Henderson, TN – The No. 5 Patriots concluded their Mid-South Conference with Freed-Hardeman, recording 12 runs on 16 hits. Cumberlands secured the sweep by recording two, hard-fought victories (6-1, 6-0). The Pats pitching staff was seen recording 10 strikeouts on the day. UC now sits at an overall record of 35-4 and a conference record of 16-0.
GAME 1: PATRIOTS STRIKES LATE AGAINST THE LIONS, 6-1
In the top of the first, Cumberlands looked to strike early with a leadoff walk from Carly Oliver. An Amber Gainer hit by pitch moved runners to first and second where a sacrifice bunt from Jade Gainer move runners into scoring position. Makenzie Keatts battled through a tough at bat before recording a hit by pitch to load the bases, but UC was unable to score first. Defensively, the Pats closed the first inning seeing pitcher Talli Burgess record her first strikeout of the game and a pair of fly outs to end the first inning scoreless.
Through the fourth inning, both teams worked hard on offense but were battling through a pitcher's duel. Burgess recorded her second strikeout of the game and dealt the Patriot's defense routine plays to hold the Lions scoreless. In the top of the fifth, Cumberlands saw a leadoff walk from Kaysee Dale before she swiped second to place her in scoring position. An Oliver RBI single tacked UC's first run on the board and closed out the top of the fifth. The Lions worked quick on offense, but left two runners stranded to close the fifth inning with a 1-0 Patriots lead.
An electric sixth inning featured a leadoff Amber Atkins single up the middle and Bailey Turnbow two-run blast to left field. With a 3-0 lead, Dale showcased her speed with a bunt for a single paired with an Oliver two-run shot to straightaway center field to give Cumberlands a 5-0 lead. The Lions were resilient and recorded their lone run of the game to end the sixth frame with a 5-1 UC lead. Back on offense, Cumberlands was searching for insurance runs seeing an Atkins double to left center and Emily Bryant double down the left field line to close the top of the seventh, 6-1 in favor of the Pats. Pitcher Burgess handled business in the circle and recorded two strikeouts and served up a fly ball to left field to secure the game one victory, 6-1.
LEADERS
Leading the way offensively, Oliver was perfect at the plate going 2-2 with three RBIs, one run, and two walks. Atkins followed, going 2-4 at the plate with one run while Amber Gainer was 1-2 at the plate. Turnbow went 1-4 at the plate with two RBIs and one run.
Pitcher Burgess recorded her 13th win of the season after tossing a complete game, recording five strikeouts and only allowing four hits.
GAME 2: PATRIOTS SWEEP THE LIONS, 6-0
The Patriots looked to strike early again, seeing an Amber Gainer hit by pitch and a stolen base to place her at second. With a runner in scoring position, the Pats put the ball in play but were unable to muster a run. In the bottom of the first, pitcher Morgan Radford was handed the start and went a quick one, two, three to hold the Lions scoreless at the end of the first. Through the top of the fourth, both teams once again faced a pitchers' duel. Morgan Radford recorded her first strikeout of the game and dealt numerous routine plays along with a double-play ball to shut the door on the Lions.
The top of the fourth was sparked by a Jade Gainer double to left field paired with an Atkins single to third to place the runners on the corners. Atkins stole second, but Cumberlands was unable to hit the scoreboard first. The bottom of the fourth was a three-up, three-down inning to send UC back on offense in the top of the fifth. The fifth inning featured a leadoff single to short from Bryant, showcasing her speed, followed by an Aniyah White sacrifice bunt to move Bryant into scoring position. With Oliver at the plate, she knocks a triple to right center to tack on UC's first run of the game quickly followed by Oliver scoring on a wild pitch. With a 2-0 lead, the Pats headed into the bottom of the fifth where Morgan Radford continued to handle business in the circle. Cumberlands worked quickly to record three outs and hold the Lions scoreless.
The top of the sixth saw Keatts with a disciplined approach at the plate to record a walk paired with an RBI double down the third base line from Turnbow to elevate the Patriots to a 3-0 advantage. Headed into the bottom of the sixth, Morgan Radford recorded two outs before Lindsey Shope came on in relief and recorded her first strikeout of the game to end the sixth inning. The top of the seventh saw a pinch-hit leadoff walk from Alyssa Gent. A fielder's choice play saw Oliver reach first and advance to second on a passed ball. Atkins took matters into her own hands and blasted a two-run shot to straightaway center for a 5-0 UC lead. Jade Gainer carried the momentum with a single up the middle before swiping second and scoring on a pair of throwing errors. After garnering a 6-0 lead, the Patriots head into the bottom of the seventh and shut the door on the Lions offense to secure the series sweep.
LEADERS
Leading the way offensively, Jade Gainer was 2-4 at the plate with one run while Oliver was 1-4 at the plate with one RBI and two runs. Amber Gainer was 1-3 at the plate with two RBIs and one run while Turnbow was 1-3 at the plate with one RBI.
Pitcher Morgan Radford recorded her 6th win of the season after pitching 5.2 innings and recording two strikeouts. Pitcher Shope recorded her second save of the season after pitching 1.1 innings and recording three strikeouts.
The Patriots will return home to Williamsburg, KY and host Lindsey Wilson College inside the UC Softball Complex on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20. Game times are slated for 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. (EST) on Friday, 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. (EST) on Saturday.
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