BOWLING GREEN, Ky.--The Patriots scored nine in the eighth to bust open the game to take a 14-1 lead. Cumberland rattled off 10 runs in the bottom of the ninth, but the Patriots fended off the last-inning rally to win 15-11 and send the Phoenix to an elimination game tonight. 

Cumberland (35-12-1) struck first, but couldn’t get the bats going against Hunter Rigsby and Zach Carlsen until the ninth. 

Rigsby went six innings to get the win giving up just two hits with seven strikeouts. 

Trevor Muzzi picked up the loss in the game going 5.1 innings. He allowed five hits and five runs while striking out six and walking five. 

Tyner Hughes went 3-for-5 for the Phoenix with a double and an RBI. Chewy Sanders collected two hits, Cole Turney hit home run No. 31, and Drew Dalton belted a grand slam. 

Josh Simon went 3-for-3 with a homer and a double, Charlie Muniz went 3-for-6 with a double and a home run, and Ryan Shavers went 2-for-4 with a home run and a double for the Patriots. 

Cumberland struck first in the bottom of the first inning as Hughes roped a double down the left field line to score Turney from first base. 

In the top of the second, the Patriots reached on an error and then back-to-back walks loaded the bases full. Muzzi, trying to get out of it, struck out Ryan Shavers, but with two strikes to Josiah Santiago the ball got away from Hughes allowing the runner from third to score and tie the game.  He struck out Santiago to strand the runners on second and third. 

Sanders roped a double in the gap to leadoff the bottom half and moved up a fly ball to right from Holyk, but Rigsby induced two flyballs to get out of it with a 1-1 score through two. 

In the third, Charlie Muniz singled through the left side and then Sujel Arias went yard to push the Patriots on top 3-1. 

Ryan Shavers launched a solo shot to left in the fourth to add to the lead and the Patriots chased starter Muzzi in the fifth after two walks. Will Caro checked in and after loading the bases on a hit by pitch, Santiago brought in a run with a sac fly to center for a 5-1 lead through six. 

Hitting was contagious for the Patriots in the eighth as they rattled off nine runs on six hits. Ryan Shavers doubled home two, Raphy Almanzar hit a two-RBI single, Charlie Muniz and Josh Simon each hit two-run homers, and Caden Petrey doubled home a run.

Muniz doubled home a run in the final inning for the final run of the game for the Patriots.

Cumberland would score in the last half inning as Drew Dalton singled in Holyk and advanced all the way to third on an error. Moreno hit in Dalton while reaching on an error. Krump drew a walk and Turney jacked an opposite field home run. The Phoenix started the rally over as Hughes, Triplett, and Sanders singled home courtesy runner Dylan Forbes. Holyk followed with a single drawing the Patriots to put in closed Cesar Avila. Dalton greeted Avila with a grand slam to make it 15-11. Farmer beat out an infield single, but Avila retired the next two batters to end the game. 

Cumberland will take on the winner of Freed-Hardeman and Georgetown tonight at 7:30 p.m. for a chance to go to the Mid-South Conference Championship.