NE Nashville News

The bats came alive in game two to salvage the day with a doubleheader split on the road against No. 18 Tennessee Wesleyan. 

Cumberland (7-6) struggled in game one swinging the bats, but 10 hits and four doubles in game two helped the Phoenix knock off the Bulldogs 8-6 after being shut out in game one. 

Tennessee Wesleyan shut down the Cumberland bats in game one as Cheyenne Strong threw a complete game gem. Strong allowed just three hits without issuing a walk and punched out seven Phoenix. 

Bailey Griffith suffered the loss throwing six innings allowing five hits and five runs, only two of the runs were earned. She struck out three to fall to 3-4 in the circle this season. 

The Bulldogs cracked the board in the second inning as the first run came in on a Malyssa Jeter single to left. After a two-out error in the field, Emily Mikkola blasted a three-run home run to give the Bulldogs a 4-0 lead. 

In the third, Griffith issued a base on balls to Loryn Sheerwood and Courtney Sneed followed with a double to right to put runners on second and third. Taylor Penning brought in Sheerwood with a sacrifice fly, but Griffith kept them to just the one run in the inning, but the Bulldogs boosted the lead to 5-0.

The Phoenix had a chance to string together a rally as Allie Burleson reached on a one-out single and Anna Lay got on after an error putting two runners on with one-out, but Strong got a groundout and a lineout to end the threat and keep Cumberland scoreless. 

Jacey Hatfield singled in the seventh, but that was all the Phoenix could put together as the Bulldogs picked up the 5-0 shutout victory. 

In game two, the Bulldogs scored first in the first inning. Destiny Painter led off the game with a single, moved up on a sac bunt, and scored on a Sheerwood RBI-single to right for an early 1-0 lead. 

The game stayed 1-0 until the third. Koczersut was hit by a pitch to leadoff the inning. Next batter, Kenzie France roped a double to right-center allowing Koczersut to score from first. After two outs, Ashley Evans scored France on a single to left. Evans moved up on a wild pitch and another single to left by Ashton Blair scored Evans for a 3-1 Phoenix lead. 

Tennessee Wesleyan scored one run in the bottom half. Three straight station-to-station singles loaded the bases. Penning hit a sac fly to center to score one, but a short fly out and a punch out left two stranded in scoring position, 3-2 Cumberland after three. 

Hatfield singled in the fourth and moved to third on a double from Koczersut. France hit into an RBI-groundout to push the lead to 4-2. 

Mikkola reached in the bottom half on an error and immediately after Painter smoked a triple to center to field to score one. Painter scored on an RBI-groundout to knot the game at 4-4 after four.

The Phoenix hung a four spot in the fifth as Evans and Blair led off the inning with a single and a double. Ashton Whiles drew a walk to load the bases and Abby Chappell hit a double to left to score two. Hatfield followed with an RBI single to center and Koczersut roped an RBI single to left to end Madison Stott’s day in the circle. Emily Tabor entered and retired the next three hitters to keep it to just four runs in the inning, but gave CU an 8-4 lead. 

Kaitlin Higgins came in to relieve Cooper in the bottom half, after retiring the first two batters, Jeter hit a solo home run to left field. 

The Bulldogs tried to mount a comeback in the seventh after a leadoff single by Sneed and a double by Penning to cut it to a two-run game, but with runners on first and third pinch hitter Hallie Dearman hit a line drive back to Higgins in the circle. Higgins made the grab and fired it to third for a double play to end the game and give Cumberland the 8-6 win. 

Emily Cooper picked up the win in the circle to move to 4-2 on the season and Higgins picked up her first save of the season.

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