Lake Wales, FL – #5 Cumberlands finished off their weekend at the Warner Invitational with a split on Saturday. UC defeated Aquinas (1-11) in their first game, 7-0, before falling to Warner (9-12), 7-4. The Pats combined for 22 hits on the day and the pitching staff marked 14 strikeouts. Cumberlands concludes the Florida trip with a 3-1 record, moving to 17-4 on the season.
No. 5 Cumberlands Shutout Saints, 7-0
Nolan Wilson (3-1) got the start on the mound and pitched a complete game for the second time this season. The right-handed pitcher threw 7.0 innings, not allowing a single run on five hits and eight strikeouts. Wilson helped UC earn their third consecutive shutout in Florida.
Alec Gonzalez led the way for the Patriots at the plate, batting 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Max Harper hit 2-for-4 as well, with a home run and an RBI. Derick Andiarena went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
After a scoreless first inning, Cumberlands broke the tie. A leadoff walk from Edwin Martinez and a single by Zamaurion Hatcher allowed Martinez to score on a throwing error by the pitcher, putting the Pats on the board.
UC struck again in the top of the third inning on an Alec Gonzalez two-run home run, his sixth of the season to give UC a 3-0 advantage.
Max Harper made it a 4-0 ballgame with a solo shot to left center in the top of the fifth, his fifth of the season.
Cumberlands added three more insurance runs in the top of the sixth to put this one out of reach. Caden Petrey drew a one-out walk and later scored on a Charlie Muniz RBI double to left field. Next at-bat, Andiarena singled to left field to bring in Muniz. After a Max Harper single, Gonzalez notched the third consecutive single by a UC batter to drive in another run to secure the 7-0 victory.
No. 5 Cumberlands Falls to Warner, 7-4
Wesley Culley (2-1) was credited with his first loss of the season. Culley went 2.2 innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts. Jake Kmiecik entered in relief in the bottom of the third, allowing zero runs on four hits.
Max Harper went 3-for-5 at the plate with an RBI. Designated hitter, Jaylen Jones, batted 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Alec Gonzalez hit 2-for-2 with a pair of walks.
In the top of the first inning, the Pats jumped out to an early lead once again. Chirstian Thompson walked, then stole second to put himself into scoring position. Two batters later, Max Harper continued his hot weekend at the plate with an RBI single to score Thompson and give UC the 1-0 lead.
Warner answered right away in the bottom of the frame with a run on three hits to even the game at 1-1.
For the first time this weekend, UC found themselves playing from behind after the Royals plated three more runs in the bottom of the second to take a 4-1 lead.
The Patriots responded well in their next at-bat, tying the game up at 4-4 with three runs in the top of the third. Back-to-back singles from Harper and Gonzalez to put the first two batters on. Edwin Martinez followed with a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third. Jones stepped up to the plate and singled to left center to score Harper. Zamaurion Hatcher then walked to load the bases. A wild pitch allowed all runners to advance, scoring Gonzalez from third. Two consecutive walks from Thompson and Muniz allowed the third run of the inning to cross the plate.
In the bottom of the third, Warner regained the lead on a two-RBI single, making the score 6-4.
UC only managed to record three hits the rest of the way as Warner tacked on their final run in the bottom of the fifth to secure the win.
Cumberlands will return home to begin a five-game homestand, starting with Johnson University – Tennessee on Wednesday, March 12th at 4 p.m. ET.
For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics. Please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on X - @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameday, Instagram- @UCPatriots, TikTok- @ucpatriots, YouTube- Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.
