Portsmouth, Ohio – Shawnee State softball would win their four game series with Cumberlands (Ky.), splitting Saturday's doubleheader by losing 4-3 in game one and winning 12-6 in game two.
Game one would get off to a poor start for Shawnee State as Cumberlands would knock starting pitcher Miranda Pauley (SR/Portsmouth, Ohio) out of the game in the third inning. The Patriots would score one in the first and two in the second, and hit several hard line drives off of Pauley.
Shawnee State would get runs back in the first and second inning. Marissa Brown would single home Ashtyn Saunders (FR/Lancaster, Ohio) in the first inning on a single to tie the game at 1-1. Down 3-1 in the second, Katlyn Gleich (SO/Grove City, Ohio) would single and advance to third on a bunt when Cumberlands failed to cover the base. Gleich would then score on a sacrifice fly to left field by Katie Wolsefer (FR/Franklin, Ohio).
Shawnee State would tie the game in the fifth inning. Victoria Bevington (FR/London, Ohio) would walk to lead off the inning, and would score one batter later on Marissa Brown's RBI double.
The game would head to extra innings, where Cumberlands would score a run in the top of the eighth against Brooke Blevins (FR/Frankfort, Ohio) to take a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the eighth, Shawnee State would leave the tying run stranded on first as Cumberlands would hold on for the win.
Taryn Sigl would throw eight innings for Cumberlands, allowing three runs on eight hits and striking out six to get the win. Brooke Blevins would allow only one run on six hits and strike out four to take a hard luck loss.
The Bears would get the bats rolling again in game two. After Brown singled home Saunders in the bottom of the first, Shawnee State would score seven in the bottom half of the second to take a commanding 8-0 lead, capped by Brown's grand slam to left field.
Despite the big lead, Cumberlands would get back in the game by scoring five off of McKenzie Whittaker (SO/McDermott, Ohio) in the top of the third. However, Brooke Blevins would come into the game to stave off the Patriots, and Shawnee State would score a run in the third and the fourth, along with two in the sixth to keep out front and earn the win.
Blevins would be the winning pitcher in game two by throwing 4.1 innings, allowing only one run on four hits. Aryanna Cannoy would take the loss, allowing seven runs on seven hits in 1.0 + innings.
With the split, Shawnee State moves to 10-9 on the season and are 4-6 in the Mid-South Conference. Cumberlands moves to 13-17 and are 5-5 in the league. The Bears currently sit in fourth place in the Mid-South.
Shawnee State softball returns to action on Wednesday, March 29th when they travel to Kentucky to take on Pikeville in Mid-South Conference action. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00pm.
