BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Aaron Ashton’s two-run single to center highlighted a four-run eighth inning and Scott Sebald tossed a four-hit shutout, striking out 10 in a 4-0 Lindsey Wilson victory over Cumberland in the Mid-South Conference Baseball Championships here Friday evening at Bowling Green Ballpark.

With the loss the Phoenix (32-26) drop into the loser’s bracket and face St. Catharine College at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Cumberland must win twice on Saturday to remain alive in the four-team event.

Sebald (9-3) retired 13 consecutive batters at one point in the contest and ran into trouble just once after a one-out single by Josh Croft and a walk to Jarrett Plunkett in the eighth. The lefthander struck out pinch-hitter Bo Saunders and Gabe Lares popped out to end the threat.

Sebald walked one and allowed four singles, two each by Croft and Ryan Dickison.

He outdueled Stephen Fischer (10-3), who allowed three earned runs on eight hits in 7.2 innings of relief. CU starter Erik Barron left the game after two batters with an apparent injury, with Fischer coming off the bench cold.

The righthander got 12 ground ball outs and induced a pair of doubleplays, including a tremendous backhand play in the hole by Hector Viera and a great backhand stop near the third base bag from Croft. He ran into trouble in the eighth, with the Blue Raiders (36-20) loading the bases thanks to two hard-hit balls and a hit batsman.

Ashton then singled to center, plating two runners, and Jan Carlos Ortiz’s two-out single to left scored another in the four-run inning for LWC. Fischer walked one and struck out four.

Ashton and Austin Atwell both posted two hits for the Blue Raiders.

Barron hit the second batter of the contest, Edgar Lebron, and Fischer gave up a single to Ashton before getting a 6-4-3 doubleplay from Atwell to end the inning. He retired 13 of the next 16 batters, working around singles in the third, fourth and fifth innings but getting another ground ball doubleplay as well as a strike-‘em-out, throw-‘em-out twin-killing to end the fifth.

Atwell singled to start the seventh and went to third on a pair of wild pitches before a two-out walk to Fabian Chirino, but pinch-hitter Ray Gonzalez struck out to end the threat.

Croft singled to center with one out in the eighth for the Phoenix and moved to second on a passed ball. Plunkett worked an eight-pitch walk, but Saunders was unable to get the bunt down and struck out before Lares popped up the 3-1 pitch to short rightfield to end the only real scoring chance of the game for CU.

In the bottom of the inning Alex Salcedo singled to center with one out and Brandon Munoz ripped a ball down the third base line. Croft made a great diving stop, but his throw to second was late and both runners were safe. Lebron was hit for the second time in the contest, loading the bases, and Ashton delivered a two-run single to center.

Cumberland nearly got out of the inning allowing just two runs, as Atwell bounced into a possible doubleplay, but Viera’s throw to first was low and got away, allowing Lebron to score. Ortiz then delivered his RBI single to left, plating the final run of the game.