LEBANON, Tenn.--Cumberland Softball wins the series over Bethel after winning game two, but the Wildcats salvages the final game of the series with late-inning efforts to come away with one game. 

Cumberland (20-14, 9-9 MSC) moved up in the standing after the two wins, but still remain one game behind Bethel after the Wildcats took the final game. Cumberland sits in fifth place with six conference games remaining. She also stole four bases and scored four runs. Madison Koczersut had a good game one going 3-for-3 with a home run and a double while Ashley Evans went 4-for-8 on the day. 

Anna Lay had a great day at the plate going 6-for-6 in the two games reaching base all eight times. 

The Phoenix started the first game off well, scoring two runs in the first inning. Lay drew a walk to lead off the game and Evans followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Ashtyn Blair hit a sacrifice fly for the first run and Abby Chappell hit an RBI-double to bring in Evans for a 2-0 lead. 

Cumberland added a run in the third as Koczersut led off with a single and Kenzie France followed with a double off the wall to set up runners on second and third. Brylee Bartlee drove in a run with an RBI-Single to right to push the lead to 3-0 after two. 

Koczersut blasted her fifth home run of the season in the third, a solo shot, to extend the lead to 4-0. 

The Wildcats got on the board in the fourth, but Cumberland answered in the fifth with Koczersut hitting an RBI-double to score Jacey Hatfield from first base, 5-1 Phoenix through five. 

In the sixth, Jada Wynn hit an RBI-double down the left field line to score a run and cut it to a 5-2 lead for the Wildcats, but Cumberland answered with four runs in the bottom half to break the game open. Blair hit a two-RBI single, Chappell doubled her home, and Hatfield hit an RBI groundout for a 9-2 lead.

The Wildcats scored one in the seventh, but it was not enough to overcome the big lead as Cumberland won 9-3.

Emily Cooper picked up the win in the circle for Cumberland to improve to 9-4 on the season. She tossed a complete game giving up eight hits, three runs, just two were earned, and striking out three.  

The Wildcats had their best batting appearance in the finale with 10 total hits compared to CU’s seven.

The Phoenix had another solid start as Anna Lay singled to the circle and stole bases all the way home on a Bethel throwing error at the bottom of the first. Bethel was quick to even out the score with two hits and a run at the top of the second while the Phoenix were unable to get on base at the bottom. 

It remained a tied game at 1-1 until an eventful fourth inning brought the game back in Bethel’s favor. Maria Murdaugh scored Jada Wynn with a single to left field and on the next at-bat Madison Carey headed home on a fielder’s choice. 

Cumberland also found success in the inning as Macey Powell scored on an error at centerfield for a 3-2 score. The Phoenix took a short lived lead in the fifth with the help of two runs on two hits, but the Wildcats had an answer in the sixth with three runs of their own for a 6-4 score. 

Bethel pitcher Madison Locke held the Phoenix batters off in the final two innings as the Wildcats punched in one more run at the top of the seventh for a 7-4 final. 

Cumberland will head to Lindsey Wilson next weekend for their final regular-season road series. The first game will begin at 3 pm on April 21 with a doubleheader the following day.