LEBANON, Tenn. – Tyler Alford drove in a pair of runs with a home run, Cameron Lenz tossed 7.2 effective innings and Curtis Hoppe got the final two outs with the tying run on third base, as Cumberland held on for a 5-4 victory over Bethel University on Monday in a game delayed by rain at Ernest L. Stockton Field-Woody Hunt Stadium.

The teams were originally supposed to start at 2 p.m. but that game time was pushed back an hour Monday morning. Rain right around game time further delayed the contest until just after 4 p.m.

Alford’s two-run homer in the third inning put the Bulldogs (17-27) ahead for good and Zach Cole collected three hits with one RBI and a run scored in the victory.

Lenz (4-2) won his fourth straight outing, allowed two earned runs on four hits. He walked three and struck out three. He has allowed just three earned runs and 18 hits in his last 29.2 innings of work.

The Wildcats (15-23) scored twice in the eighth on a two-run single from Chase Howell and put runners on first and third with one out in the ninth thanks to an error and a single by Kendall Adkisson, but Michael Brasili and Ismael Sanchez both lined out to end the game.

Cumberland collected 15 hits in the contest but stranded 11 runners on base, including the bases loaded in the fifth and two in the second and seventh innings. Hector Viera, Jake Collier, Ryan Simmons and Jonathan Larson each posted two hits for CU.

Clayton Parker (0-1) suffered the loss for Bethel, giving up five runs on 12 hits in five innings.

The Wildcats took an early lead with a run in the first when Wes Warren drew a leadoff walk and went to second on Adkisson’s sacrifice bunt. Sanchez’s two-out single to center put the visitors ahead.

The Bulldogs responded with a run in the second, starting with a two-out single by Simmons. Larson followed with a double down the leftfield line before an RBI single to left from Cole tied the game at one.

Cumberland posted three runs in the third inning, with Eddie McDaniels leading off the frame with a double down the rightfield line. Two batters later Alford belted his second home run of the year to left.

Ryan Dickison followed with a double down the leftfield line and Collier reached on an error before a fielder’s choice by Simmons plated a run for a 4-1 CU advantage.

Colton Kail doubled to leftfield with one out in the Bethel fourth, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by Howell.

The Bulldogs came right back with a run in the bottom of the inning, with Cole and Viera both singling to leadoff. McDaniels’ groundout put runners on the corners Justin Byrd’s line drive to left scored Cole for a 5-2 lead.

In the eighth Adkisson walked with one out and Brasili reached on an error before Sanchez’s single loaded the bases. Howell’s two-out single to left scored a pair of runs and ended the day for Lenz. Nick Ford allowed a single but got a popout by pinch-hitter Jon Pyles to end the inning.

In the ninth Zane Mathis reached on the last of CU’s four errors in the game to start the inning and went to second on Warren’s sac bunt. Adkisson followed with a single, putting runners on the corners, but Hoppe came on to get the final two outs, both lineouts, and preserve the victory.

Cumberland ends the regular season this weekend at home against Georgetown College, with the series scheduled for Friday and Saturday.