No. 5 Baseball Unable to Complete Rally Against No. 9 Cumberlands

WILLIAMSBURG, Ky.- The baseball team faced a ranked opponent on the road this afternoon. A late rally by the ninth-ranked University of the Cumberlands Patriots sunk the fifth-ranked Bulldogs as they fell 12-10.

These two teams met earlier in the season and like that first meet, Cumberlands took the first lead, and Tennesse Wesleyan came back from it. The opponents took a 3-0 lead in the second inning. The Bulldogs scored six runs in the third inning.

Devin Dixon started the scoring with a solo home run. Brayan Espinoza followed with a double and Chris Catalano got on base with a walk. Daniel Stewart helped Espinoza complete his journey on base with a double, cutting the lead to one run as Espinoza scored. Kolton Reynolds gave TWU the lead, blasting a three-run home run over the left-field wall to make the score 5-3. Nick Collins made it three home runs in the inning, hitting a solo shot to give the team a 6-3 lead after the top half of the third. The game became tied after the fourth inning. 

The tie was broken by Catalano in the sixth inning. A hit by pitch got Jack Stevens on base, who got to second on a Dixon single and to third on Espinoza's sac bunt. Catalano hit a single to right field to bring in Stevens, giving the team a 7-6 advantage. Corbin Shaw moved the team's lead to two runs with a solo home run. 

The game changed in the bottom of the seventh inning when Cumberland scored six runs to put the Bulldogs down 12-8. Tennessee Wesleyan scored two runs in the top of the ninth, a Collins RBI single scoring Stewart and a Jonathan Bosque sacrifice fly bringing in Hagen Escoto, but the team could not pull closer as they fell in the game.

Reynolds led the team with three RBIs. 

The schedule brings the Bulldogs (29-10) back to Athens Insurance Stadium for a game against Cumberland University. The game on Friday is set to begin at 3:00 p.m.