Williamsburg, KY – The Patriots remained perfect in MSC play with the 6-1 victory over Cumberland U on Sunday. The Pats extend their winning streak to 20 games and are now 32-6 overall and 15-0 in MSC play.
 
Lindsey Shope earned her 16^th win of the year, throwing just 76 pitches through seven innings. She gave up just one run off four hits and struck out four batters as well. Maliyah Wilkins continued her fantastic weekend at the plate going three for three with a run scored. Bailey Turnbow and Jade Gainer each recorded two hits and an RBI and a combined three runs scored. Turnbow tripled while Gainer and Aniyah White each doubled in the game for UC's three extra base hits.
 
Shope shut the Phoenix down in the first inning after getting an out with the first pitch of the game, then striking out the next two batters. She came back in the second and stranded a runner on first to keep the game scoreless through two.
 
The senior struck out two more batters in the third to give her team a chance to take their first lead of the game. White led off the bottom half with a double down the left field line, and advanced to third off a sacrifice bunt from Marquila Howell. However, UC could not score the run as the game stayed at 0-0 after three.
 
Cumberland University threatened in the fourth as their leadoff batter advanced to third, but Shope got out of the jam once again. Wilkins then recorded her second hit of the day and scored one batter later as Turnbow tripled to left center field to give the Pats the lead. J. Gainer then delivered a double into the left center field gap to score Turnbow and give UC the 2-0 lead after four.
 
The top of the fifth inning saw just three pitches from Shope as she got two flyouts and a groundout to get her team back in the dugout as fast as possible. After a quick bottom half, CU responded with a solo-shot in the sixth to cut their deficit in half.
 
UC answered right back as Wilkins, Turnbow, and J. Gainer recorded three straight singles to load the bases. Ryann Livingston then earned a pinch-hit RBI single for the second game in a row to score Cloe Smith who ran for Wilkins. Destry Lambert followed with a pinch-hit RBI of her own, as the Pats scored two off a CU error. A. Gainer then finished the inning with a sacrifice fly to score Livingston to make it 6-1 Patriots.
 
Shope came back out for the complete game, sitting the Phoenix down one, two, three to secure the series sweep over Cumberland University.
 
The Patriots have now won 20 games in a row and look to keep this streak going as they will travel to Georgia to take on the Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies in a top-10 NAIA matchup. First pitch is set for 2 PM ET on Wednesday the 16^th.
 
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