Clarksville, TN – The top-seed and third-ranked Cumberlands softball team utilized strong pitching and timely hitting to defeat second-seed Freed-Hardeman 4-0 to capture the 2025 Mid-South Conference Tournament championship Sunday afternoon.  It marks the Patriots third MSC Tournament title in program history as they improve to 37-7 on the year.

Lindsey Shope and Jessica Cord combined for the shutout in the circle, scattering six strikeouts and five hits.  Shope earns her 20^th win of the season, becoming the second Patriot pitcher to win 20 games in a season, while Cord picks up her second save of the year. At the plate, Jade Gainer went 1-1 with a walk, HBP, and three runs scored.  Amber Gainer added a triple and run scored, while Aniyah White chipped in two hit and an RBI.  Carly Oliver also notched an RBI sac fly in the first inning.

The Patriots flashed the leather to open the game as Marquila Howell made a sliding grab for the first out of the first inning.  Shope forced the Lions to flyout two more times to send it to the bottom of the first scoreless.

Cumberlands struck first in the bottom of the first inning as Amber Gainer laced a 3-1 pitch to center for a triple.  The senior came around to score two batters later on a Carly Oliver sac fly to make it 1-0. 

Freed-Hardeman went three up and three down in the top of the second inning as Shope collected her first strikeout of the day.  In the bottom half, Jade Gainer reached on an infield single and took second on a wild pitch.  After advancing to third, Gainer came in to score on a wild pitch giving the Patriots a 2-0 lead.

Both teams stranded a runner on second base in the third inning as Cumberlands remained in front 2-0 heading into the fourth inning.  Freed-Hardeman tallied a lead-off single in the fourth, however, Shope continued to duel in the circle getting out of the inning with a strikeout.

The Patriots tack on a run in the bottom of the fourth extending their lead to 3-0.   Jade Gainer and Jules Johnson were both reached based after getting hit by the pitch.  Aniyah White followed with an RBI single to center that brough Gainer home from second for UC's third run of the day.

Shope tallied a pair of K's as part of a one, two, three inning in the top of fifth.  Freed-Hardeman threaten in the top of sixth inning tallying a pair of hits and a four pitch walk to load the bases.  Jessica Cord came in relief and got Briley Wigginton to ground back to her for the final out of the inning keeping the shutout intact.

Jade Gainer led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a four-pitch walk and advanced to second on a Johnson sac bunt.  White followed with an infield singled that allowed Gainer to score from second on a throwing error to extend the Patriots lead to 4-0 heading into the seventh.

Cord remained in a tossed a flawless seventh inning tallying a strikeout and a pair of groundouts, including on back to the circle to complete the 4-0 victory. 

It marks the second time in program history that Cumberlands captured both the MSC regular season and tournament title in the same season. 
 
UC will now await the NAIA selection show, which will be announced on Wednesday, May 7^th, at 6 p.m. ET.  The Patriots are one of ten NAIA Opening Rounds sites, which will begin play on Monday, Monday, May 12^th at the UC Softball Complex.

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