Dayton, Tenn.-- Cumberland splits doubleheader with Bryan College. After dropping game one, the Phoenix came alive for a 4-1 finish to the evening. 

Despite their seven hits, the Phoenix made only one run to ultimately drop game one with a 2-1 score. Ashton Wiles had a solid start to the evening hitting 2-for-3.

The Phoenix were hot at the top of the first as Abby Chappell ripped an RBI single to score Anna Lay for a 1-0 early lead. The Lions were quiet at the bottom as Bailey Griffith handled business on the mound allowing for only one hit but an overall scoreless inning on Bryan’s end.

Cumberland struggled offensively for the next two innings while the Lions climbed to the lead. Denver Hogrefe shut down the Phoenix bats for the rest of the game as they would only get four more hits through the remaining innings. 

Hogrefe scored an RBI at the bottom of the second after reaching on an infield error, sending Carli LaRocque home to even up the score 1-1. The Lions took the lead in the following inning  as LaRocque reached on an error at first with runners on second and third, sending Haley Stahl home for a 2-1 score.

Cumberland had a good opportunity to tie up the game and even reclaim the lead at the top of the third with three recorded hits. Whiles and Jacey Hatfield both singled balls one batter apart but Hogrefe got a swinging strikeout and a groundout to keep the Phoenix scoreless.

The remaining innings played out in a similar fashion to end in a 2-1 victory in favor of Bryan.

The Phoenix bats woke up in game two while Emily Cooper and Kaitlin Higgins’ combined efforts from the mound helped keep the Lions at bay for the majority of the game. Lay hit 2-of-3 while Ashtyn Blair totaled two RBIs. 

It was a fairly uneventful match until CU’s big break at the top of the fifth where they scored three runs. Kenzie France got the action going with a single, to which Gracie Arnemann followed up with an RBI double to score France’s runner Macie Powell. 

Soon after, Allie Burelson hit an RBI single to score Arnemann and send Lay to third. After some position changes on Bryan’s end- including sending Stahl to the mound- Blair grounded out to first on the next ball, sending Lay home for a 3-0 score.

The Lions had an opportunity to string together a rally at the bottom of the sixth as Holt singled to an RBI and put a runner on second. Higgins took over the hill for Cumberland and threw back-to-back flyouts, preventing any further action from Bryan’s batters in the inning.

Cumberland pushed out their lead in the final inning to secure the 4-1 victory. Blair recorded her second RBI of the day with a single that sent Lay from second to home. The Lions were unable to find success in their last go around as Higgins kept the batters hitless. 

The Phoenix will be back in action on Wednesday with a road doubleheader at Reinhardt University. Game one will kick off at 2 pm followed by a 4 pm start to game two.