Bowling Green, KY – The #1 seed Patriots fell 11-4 to two-seeded Cumberland University in the semifinals of the Mid-South Conference Tournament on Friday morning. UC jumped out to a 2-0 lead early on, but the Phoenix outscored the Pats 11-2 the rest of the way to advance. Cumberlands will play in an elimination game tomorrow for a spot in the championship game.
At the plate, Christian Thompson batted 2-for-4, notching the only home run of the game for the Pats. Max Harper finished the game 2-for-4 with a double, walk, and two RBI's. Edwin Martinez also had two hits in four at-bats, including a double.
On the mound, Cooper Morgan got the start and was credited with the loss. Morgan pitched 3.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Jake Kmiecik was the first arm out of the bullpen, and he allowed three earned runs in 0.1 innings of work. Jack Scrofano came in to relieve Kmiecik and faced four batters, giving up one run on three hits. Willis McCarter made his tournament debut and threw 3.2 innings, striking out one while allowing two runs to score.
The Patriots jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Thompson singled up the middle to lead off the inning followed by a Charlie Muniz walk to put the first two batters on base. Derick Andiarena proceeded to draw a walk of his own to quickly load the bases with nobody out. Next at-bat, Harper hit an RBI-single to left field to score Thompson.
After a scoreless second frame, Thompson blasted a solo home run to right field to give the Pats a 2-0 advantage.
Cumberland University responded right away in the bottom of the third, scoring three runs on three hits and one error to take a 3-2 lead.
In the top of the fourth, Cumberlands threatened to score after a leadoff single and double by Alec Gonzalez and Edwin Martinez to put two runners into scoring position but were unsuccessful.
The Phoenix made UC pay as they added two more runs in the bottom of the frame to extend their lead to 5-2.
Cumberland University continued to roll offensively in the fifth inning with four runs on five hits, making it a 9-2 ballgame.
The Phoenix would tack on two more in the seventh to take an 11-2 lead going into the final two frames.
UC plated a pair of runs in the top of the ninth to finalize the game at 11-4.
#8 Cumberlands will play in an elimination game tomorrow for a spot in the championship game against the winner of the Campbellsville/Freed-Hardeman game. The game time is yet to be determined.
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