Kingsport, TN – The No. 5 Patriots (3-1) fell in their first game to (RV) Indiana Wesleyan, 3-1, but bounced back with a 9-0 shutout win over West Virginia Tech to conclude trip at the Clash of Conferences.
GAME ONE: No. 5 Cumberlands Falls in Battle Against (RV) Indiana Wesleyan, 3-1
UC wasn't able to muster much offensively in this one against the Indiana Wesleyan pitching staff, recording one run on four hits. Max Harper led the Pats, going 1-for-3 with a single and an RBI. Christian Thompson also hit 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored.
On the mound, Knicko Billings made his season debut and went for 4.1 innings. The senior threw four strikeouts, four groundouts, and allowed seven hits on two runs.
After not much going on offensively in the first couple innings, Indiana Wesleyan got on the board first in the bottom of the third on an RBI-single.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Indiana Wesleyan would tack on another run. After a quick line-out, the Wildcats collected three straight hits including an RBI-double to extend their lead to 2-0.
UC punched back in the top of the sixth courtesy of Max Harper. Following a leadoff strikeout, Thompson doubled into the left center gap to put a runner in scoring position. After the second out of the inning, Max Harper singled up the middle to put the Patriots on the board, 2-1.
The Wildcats were able to respond in the bottom half on an RBI-single to bring the lead back up to two, 3-1, and secure the victory.
GAME TWO: No. 5 Patriots Shutout West Virginia Tech, 9-0
Nolan Wilson (1-0) made his debut for the Patriots and what a debut it was. The Houston Christian transfer threw a complete game shutout and tallied 11 strikeouts on just three hits. Designated hitter Charlie Muniz also shined, hitting 4-for-4 with two home runs and six RBIs. Alec Gonzalez went 2-for-3 with two singles, a walk, and a run scored.
The Patriots scored first in this one and never looked back. In the bottom of the first, Thompson earned a leadoff walk, followed by a Muniz double to right center to put two runners in scoring position with nobody out. After the first out of the inning, Harper singled to right field to bring in the first run of the game and give the Pats a 1-0 lead.
Cumberlands tacked on another run, 2-0, after Muniz knocked one out of the park for a solo homerun in the bottom of the third.
After a scoreless fourth inning, UC would add to their lead. Clay Shelton led off the inning with a walk and was pinch run for by Edwin Martinez. Martinez would later score on a passed ball to make the score 3-0. The next at-bat, Muniz hit an RBI-single to score Thompson, and the lead was 4-0.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Patriots saw the offense come alive again, collecting five runs on three hits. Cumberlands quickly loaded the bases with one-out after a Trent Prokes walk, Caden Petrey double, and a Thompson walk. In the next at-bat, Muniz tallied his fourth hit of the game with a grand slam to open the game up at 8-0, his second homerun of the game. Prokes would bring in the final run of the game on a hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, extending the lead to 9-0.
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