LEBANON, Tenn. – Cameron Lenz pitched in-and-out of trouble through the first three innings before settling down, tossing seven shutout frames, Hector Viera posted three hits and Ryan Dickison and Conor Dishman both added two in Cumberland’s 5-0 victory over Martin Methodist on Tuesday night in Pulaski, Tenn.

The Bulldogs (13-21) posted their first shutout of the season and the first since last season’s national championship game victory over Lewis-Clark State.

Lenz (2-2) walked six, all in the first four innings, but induced a pair of doubleplays to get out of jams. The righthander allowed just five hits and struck out one to pick up the victory. He issued a pair of two-out free passes in the second inning before getting a lineout by Jimbo Ramsey and worked around a pair of singles in the third, getting a 5-4-3 twin-killing to end the inning.

Lenz also walked the bases loaded in the fourth before a groundout by Caleb Patterson end that inning. He retired nine of the last 12 batters he faced, working around a pair of singles in the sixth and an error in the seventh.

Clint Meadows tossed the final two innings, getting a pair of doubleplays as well, the first one to end the eighth inning. He walked three and struck out one.

Cumberland scored a run on a balk in the second and Dickison’s RBI single down the leftfield line plated Justin Byrd in the third, though Zach Cole was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

The Bulldogs added two insurance runs in the seventh, the first on Hector Viera’s single to right and Jarrett Plunkett scored on the play as well on an errant throw to the infield. Dishman plated pinch-runner Orlando Collado in the eighth as well for CU.

The RedHawks (20-11) had 15 baserunners in the contest but stranded 10, including the bases loaded in the fourth and two in the second and eighth innings. Blake Truett posted two of the team’s six hits.

Zack Brewer (4-2), the first of our MMC hurlers in the contest, suffered the loss, giving up two runs on five hits in 4.2 innings. He walked three and struck out two.

Truett singled to leadoff the first for the RedHawks but was immediately erased on a 6-4-3 doubleplay, a sign of things to come for the home team.

In the second Jonathan Larson singled and Ryan Simmons walked to start the inning for CU but a doubleplay off the bat of Richard Carter nearly ended the threat. Fortunately Brewer balked, allowing Larson to score for a 1-0 Bulldog lead.

Byrd walked and Tyler Alford was hit with two outs in the fourth. Dickison followed with the single down the leftfield line, scoring Byrd for a 2-0 edge.

Cumberland had three just baserunners over the next three innings, with MMC turning another doubleplay to erase one of those, before breaking through in the seventh.

Dishman and Plunkett both singled to start the frame and the runners moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt by Phil Stiles. Viera then dumped a single into right, scoring Dishman, and Plunkett scored on the play as well when MMC rightfielder Will Norwood was slow to get the ball back to the infield.

Dickison walked to leadoff the eighth, went to second on a wild pitch, third on a passed ball and scored on Dishman’s blooper down the rightfield line for a 5-0 advantage.

Cumberland hosts Bryan College on Wednesday at 3 p.m. in a game that was pushed back an hour. The Bulldogs play Lindsey Wilson at home in a three-game series this weekend as well.