Milligan College, TN – The fifth ranked Patriots (7-1) take both games in their non-conference doubleheader against (RV) Milligan (9-4), 4-2 and 3-2, to sweep the series. Across the two games, the UC batters totaled 14 hits and the pitching staff combined for a total of 18 strikeouts.
GAME ONE: No. 5 Cumberlands Rallies Late to defeat (RV) Milligan
Starting on the mound,
Nolan Wilson went 4.0 innings with nine strikeouts and two earned runs.
JD Price entered in relief and picked up his first win of the season. Price threw 3.0 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit with one walk and three strikeouts.
At the plate, left fielder
Trent Prokes batted 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
Max Harper also tallied multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with two singles up the middle. Charlie Muniz finished 1-for-3 with a single and an RBI.
The Patriots got off to a slow start offensively, tallying three hits through four innings with no runs scored. Milligan took advantage, scoring the first run of the game in the bottom of the first off an RBI single.
Milligan tacked on another run in the bottom of the third inning on another RBI single, giving the Buffaloes a 2-0 lead.
Cumberlands trimmed the deficit to 2-1, in the top of the fifth frame. The first batter of the inning,
Trent Prokes, hit a double to left center to reach base.
Caden Petrey followed with a walk to put two runners on. After a flyout put runners on the corners for UC, Charlie Muniz hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the Patriots first run of the game, scoring Prokes.
In the top of the sixth inning, Cumberlands shifted into the lead, 4-2. To lead off,
Max Harper reached on an error by the second baseman.
Pedro Vasquez hit a single to left field to put the first two runners on. Next at-bat,
Ben Snapp tied the game at 2-2 with an RBI single up the middle to score Harper.
Jose Valentin did his job by moving the runners to second and third base in his at-bat. Prokes followed with a clutch 2-RBI single to give UC its first lead of the game. Price was then able to record the next six outs to give UC the win in game one.
GAME TWO: No. 5 Cumberlands Holds Off (RV) Milligan, 3-2
Jake Kmiecik got the ball in game two for Cumberlands. Kmiecik went three strong innings, only allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts.
Jack Scrofano relieved Kmiecik in the bottom of the fourth and recorded the final two outs of the inning to hold the Buffaloes to just one run.
Adrian Sanchez got the win for UC in relief and pitched 3.0 innings, allowing zero runs on one hit and two strikeouts.
The third baseman,
Caden Petrey, hit 2-for-3 with two singles.
Pedro Vasquez went 1-for-3 with a go-ahead RBI single and a run scored.
The Pats were able to strike first in game two in the top of the third inning. After a flyout to leadoff the inning,
Clay Shelton singled to center field, who was substituted for pinch runner
Christian Thompson. Petrey followed with a single to put runners at first and second. Following the second out of the inning, Muniz was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Alec Gonzalez was then walked to plate Thompson and give UC the 1-0 lead.
Milligan responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth off a hit and a couple off UC errors. The Buffaloes got a 2-RBI single through the left side with the bases loaded to take the lead, 2-1.
Cumberlands had a chance to take the lead back in the next frame but stranded the bases loaded with one out.
In the top of the sixth inning, UC was able to respond this time.
Pedro Vasquez led the inning off with a hit by a pitch, then advanced to third on a couple of wild pitches.
Derick Andiarena singled to center field to tie the game at 2-2.
In the final frame, the Patriots regained the lead.
Edwin Martinez walked to lead things off, followed by a Muniz single to center. After back-to-back outs, Vasquez stepped up with a clutch two-out RBI single to right field to ultimately give the Pats the win and extend the winning streak to five games.
UC will be back home this weekend for a series against Indiana Tech. The first game will be played Friday at 3 p.m. ET, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
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