Athens, Tenn. – In a battle of two undefeated top-10 programs, the #6 Patriots outlasted #5 Tennessee Wesleyan in a 15-13 thriller Tuesday evening at Athens Insurance Stadium. With the win, Cumberlands improves to 10-0 on the season, handing the Bulldogs their first loss of the year.
Jaden Morris earned the win in relief, improving to 2-0 after tossing 3.2 innings while striking out eight. JD Price recorded his first save of the season, shutting the door over the final 1.1 innings. The Patriots used five pitchers in the high-scoring contest, combining for 17 strikeouts.
At the plate, Caden Petrey led the offensive effort, going 3-for-5 with four RBI. Ronald Almanzar finished with a home run, three RBI and four runs scored, while Johnboy Rittenhouse went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI, and three walks. Zamaurion Hatcher added two hits and an RBI as UC drew 13 walks in the victory.
Cumberlands wasted no time setting the tone in the top of the first. Almanzar launched a two-run home run to left-center field before Rittenhouse followed with a solo shot to center, giving the Patriots a quick 3-0 lead.
Tennessee Wesleyan answered with two runs in the bottom half, but UC exploded in the second inning. Petrey delivered a two-run double, Sebastian De La Cruz added an RBI single, and the Patriots capitalized on wild pitches to plate five runs in the frame and extend the lead to 8-2.
The Bulldogs chipped away with two runs in the second and erupted for five runs in the fourth, highlighted by a three-run homer from J. Bosque, to tie the game at 9-9.
The Patriots responded immediately. In the top of the fifth, UC plated six runs to regain control. Almanzar was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run, Rittenhouse drew an RBI walk, Petrey added an RBI single, and Hatcher and Clay Shelton each worked RBI walks as Cumberlands pushed the lead to 15-9.
Tennessee Wesleyan refused to go quietly, scoring four runs in the eighth inning to trim the deficit to 15-13 and put the tying run on base.
With the pressure mounting, Price entered in the eighth and recorded key outs before closing the game in the ninth. After allowing a two-out single, Price induced a groundout to shortstop to seal the 15-13 victory and preserve the Patriots' unbeaten start.
Cumberlands finished with 15 runs on 11 hits in the statement road win over the fifth-ranked Bulldogs.
The Patriots will return home this weekend as they continue their non-conference schedule against Indiana Tech on Friday February 20th. First pitch of the doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. ET from Doyle Buhl Stadium.
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