CU suffers two losses to start conference action

Mar. 16—CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Cumberland opened up Mid-South Conference softball play Thursday with two losses to Campbellsville on the road.

Campbellsville used big innings to win game one by a score of 11-3 in six innings. Game two was much tighter game, but the result was the same as the Lady Tigers pushed across a run in the sixth to break the tie and win 6-5.

Game one Campbellsville jumped up scoring five runs in the first inning. The Tigers took advantage of two Cumberland errors to go along with four hits to take the 5-0 lead.

The score stood there as both pitchers were cruising through the middle innings. In the bottom of the fifth, Campbellsville added a run on a solo home run to go up 6-0.

Cumberland strung together a couple of hits in the top of the sixth. Gracie Arnemann singled to lead off the inning and Anna Lay singled to left. With two runners on, Abby Chappell belted a three-run home run to make it a 6-3 game.

The Tigers got the runs back and more in the bottom half hitting three doubles and two home runs in the inning to run rule the Phoenix 11-3.

Campbellsville again started scoring early getting on the board twice in the first.

Cumberland manufactured a run in the second as Jacey Hatefield led off with a bunt single. Larson France moved her to second and Brylee Bartley hit a single up the middle to plate a run and cut it to 2-1.

The Tigers answered with a run of their own in the bottom half again taking advantage of a Cumberland error to put a runner in scoring position. Campbellsville moved her to third with a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly to center plated a run.

Chappell got a hold of her second home run of the day in the top of third to again cut it to 3-2 to lead off the inning. The Phoenix then followed that with another run as Hatfield came in to score on an RBI fielder's choice from Sara Brogdon and tie the game.

Cumberland grabbed their first lead of the day in the fourth inning. Lay and Ashley Evans singled to lead off the inning. Chappell moved them over on a sacrifice bunt and Kenzie France drove Lay in with an RBI groundout.

The lead was short-lived as three singles in the bottom half tied the game at 4-4. Campbellsville regained the lead in fifth scoring a run on a sac fly.

Lay got on base in the sixth and quickly swiped second base. Evans roped a double to right-center to score the tying run, but Evans was stranded on third as the go-ahead run.

Windell led off the bottom half of the inning with a single. Cumberland starter Carley Clinard induced two-straight popups, but Windell stole second with two outs and then scored on a two-out single from Pitcock to take the lead and get the 6-5 win.

Phoenix take 2 from Oakwood in final tune-up before MSC playHUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Cumberland traveled to Oakwood University on Wednesday for one final tune-up before Mid-South Conference play sweeping a doubleheader from Oakwood 4-1 and 13-2.

With the two wins the Phoenix improved to 10-2 on the season. Cumberland got the bats going in game two racking up 15 hits while the Phoenix did enough in game one to allow Kaitlin Higgins to get the complete game win in the circle.

A double by Abbie Peach put Cumberland on the board in the top of the second.

Cumberland added one run in the third. Abby Chappell hit a sacrifice fly, making the score 2-0.

The Phoenix pushed across two more in the fourth. Jacey Hatfield and Karsyn France each reached to lead off the inning. Sara Brogdon squeezed in a run with a sacrifice squeeze and Peach brought in France for the 4-0 lead.

Oakwood got a run in the fifth after a pair of Cumberland errors, but that was all the Ambassadors managed as CU took game one 4-1.

Peach led the way with two runs batted in. The second baseman went 2-for-3 on the day. Gracie Arnemann and Peach each collected two hits for Cumberland

Higgins opened the game for Cumberland. The right-handed pitcher allowed five hits and one run (zero earned) over seven innings, striking out six and walking two.

In game two, Cumberland brought the bats banging out 15 hits and scoring 13 runs in the run rule victory. Anna Lay collected three hits in four at bats. Lay hit an inside the park home run in the sixth inning, singled in the fourth inning, and singled in the second inning.

A single by Gracie Arnemann after a 6-pitch at-bat put Cumberland on the board in the top of the first.

A sacrifice fly by Peach extended the Cumberland lead to 2-0 in the top of the second inning.

Oakwood tied the game in the bottom of the second thanks to an error, and a double by Katie Johnson, but a passed ball gave the Phoenix the lead, 3-2, in the top of the third.

Cumberland added three runs in the fourth as Lay drove in Peach with a single to center. Chappell later doubled home to runs for a 6-2 lead.

Cumberland scored six runs on six hits in the top of the sixth inning. Lay hit a inside the park home run to lead off the inning. The Phoenix after loaded the bases and France hit a bases-clearing doubled, scoring three runs. Peach hit a single to right to score France, but on the play an error by the Oakwood right fielder allowed Peach to come around and score on a three-base error and set up the run-rule.

Carley Clinard earned the win for Cumberland. The starting pitcher gave up four hits and two runs, zero earned, over five innings. Steffani Schrader tossed one inning for Cumberland in relief. The reliever surrendered one hit, striking out one and walking one.

Cumberland piled up 15 hits in the game. Jacey Hatfield and Lay each collected three hits for Cumberland in game two. France went 1-for-4 with three runs batted in. Arnemann, Peach and Chappell each collected multiple hits for Cumberland. Lay stole three bases as the Phoenix swiped six bags in the game.