Bowling Green, KY – Following a five-hour weather delay, the #1 seed Patriots moved on to the MSC Championship game after defeating fifth-seeded Campbellsville 6-2 on Saturday. UC advances to play #2 seed Cumberland University for a rematch to decide the Mid-South Tournament champion.
Stuart Tharle got the start on the mound for Patriots and was credited with the win. Tharle pitched 5.1 innings, allowing just two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts. Ben Rohrbach replaced Tharle and allowed just one hit with no runs and a strikeout in one inning of work. JD Price earned a three-inning save for his ninth of the season. The right-handed pitcher allowed just three hits while striking out three across three scoreless innings.
At the plate, Max Harper finished the game 1-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI's. Both Edwin Martinez and Trent Prokes also went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
After three scoreless innings to begin the game, UC jumped out to a 4-0 lead with four runs in the bottom of the fourth. The first two hitters reached to lead off the inning after Christian Thompson walked and Derick Andiarena was hit by a pitch. Charlie Muniz was also hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. Next at-bat, Max Harper delivered a two-RBI single to right center, scoring Thompson and Andiarena. Alec Gonzalez kept it going with an RBI-ground out to shortstop. Trent Prokes added an RBI-single to right center to cap off a four-run inning.
Campbellsville got a run a back in the top of the fifth inning to get on the scoreboard at 4-1.
In the top of the sixth inning, the Tigers cut the deficit to two with another run to make it a 4-2 ballgame.
UC added some valuable insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. Thompson walked to lead off the inning, followed by an Andiarena single to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Muniz did his job with an RBI-sacrifice fly to right field, plating Thompson to give the Pats a 5-2 advantage. A couple of batters later, Edwin Martinez hit an RBI-single up the middle to give UC a 6-2 lead heading into the final frame.
Price was able to record the final three outs to send the Pats to the championship game with a 6-2 win after a long weather delay.
Cumberlands will take on Cumberland University for a rematch to decide the MSC Tournament Championship at 10 a.m. CT. The Patriots will need to beat the Phoenix twice to secure the crown.
For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics. Please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter- @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameday, Instagram- @UCPatriots, TikTok- @ucpatriots, YouTube- Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.
