Clarksville, TN – The Patriots picked up a dominant win over Cumberland University on Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the Mid-South Conference Tournament. UC took the 12-1 win in five innings to move to 36-7 on the season.
 
Lindsey Shope picked up her 19^th win of the year, pitching a complete game while giving up just one run off four hits and striking out one. At the plate. Jade Gainer and Aniyah White had two hits while Amber Gainer and Maliyah Wilkins both hit homeruns. Jules Johnson had an impressive outing as well going 1-3 with a team-high four RBIs.
 
Shope earned three quick groundouts to second, short, and third to start the game, giving her team a chance to go ahead early. Emma McDonald singled up the middle in the bottom had and scored off a single from Carly Oliver. Wilkins drew a walk before Bailey Turnbow hit an infield single to load the bases. J. Gainer singled up the middle to score Oliver for the second run of the inning. Johnson then stepped to the plate and delivered a double to right center field to clear the bases and put the Pats ahead 5-0 after one.
 
The Phoenix responded with one run of their own in the second to cut the deficit to four. In the bottom of the second, McDonald reached base for the second time with a walk and stole second the next batter. Oliver then drew a walk of her own while McDonald tagged up to third after a fly out from Wilkins. With runners on the corners, Turnbow laid down a sac bunt to score McDonald, and reached first to make it 6-1 with just one out. J. Gainer hit her second single of the game to loaf the bases for Jonson, who put the ball in play to score Oliver from third. White followed with a single to center field to score Gainer and put the Pats ahead 8-1.
 
After another three up three down inning from Shope, UC added two more in the bottom of the third to take a nine run lead. Oliver started the two out rally with her second walk of the afternoon and stole second to move into scoring position. Wilkins then blasted a no doubter way over the left field wall to bring the score to 10-1.
 
The top of the fourth began with Shope's only strikeout of the contest. A pair of walks put two runners on, but the Pats got out of the inning after a groundout to Shope. UC continued their hot day at the dish, as Marquilla Howell singled to the right side and scored a batter later after A. Gainer hit the Pats second homerun of the game over the left field wall to put UC up by 11 runs.
 
Shope came back out for her fifth inning of work for the Pats and got a quick first out from a grounder to shortstop. The Phoenix did not go down without a fight as they hit back-to-back singles for runners on first and second. Shope answered right back by getting a pair of flyouts to secure the run-rule victory.
 
Cumberlands will be back tomorrow in the semifinals of the MSC tourney where they will take on the winner of Campbellsville and Freed-Hardeman at 3:30 PM ET.
 
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