LEBANON, Tenn.- - The Cumberland Phoenix came up short in a pair of tightly contested games Tuesday afternoon, falling to Bryan 3-0 in game one and 2-1 in game two at Billy Dee Ross Stadium.

The Lions struck first in game one, breaking through in the third inning. Malone doubled to left field to score Santillanes, and Taylor followed with a single to right that brought home Malone to give the Lions an early 2-0 lead.

From there, the game settled into a pitcher's duel. The Lions added an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Taylor connected for a solo home run to extend the lead to 3-0.

Despite the loss, Avery Rauscher turned in another strong performance in the circle for the Phoenix. The right-hander tossed a complete seven innings, allowing three runs while striking out eight Lion hitters. Cumberland's offense struggled to find rhythm against Lee, who threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just five hits and striking out four Phoenix batters.

In game two, the Lions again got on the board first. Malone delivered an RBI single to center field that scored Santillanes, and Lee later added a sacrifice fly to bring home Blackwell and push the Lions ahead 2-0 in the fifth inning.

The Phoenix answered in the bottom of the sixth inning. Hailey Donato singled to center field to drive in Karsyn France and cut the deficit to one. Donato advanced to second on the throw from center field, but Cumberland was unable to capitalize further and left her stranded in scoring position.
Cumberland threatened late when Sara Brogdon reached on an infield hit, bringing the potential winning run to the plate. However, Smith retired the next two hitters to seal the victory for the Lions.

Madison Lancaster went the distance for the Phoenix in game two, pitching all seven innings while allowing nine hits and just one earned run. She struck out two Bryan batters and did not issue a walk. Smith also tossed a complete game for the Lions, surrendering only three hits and one run while walking two and striking out five Phoenix hitters.

The Phoenix returns to Billy Dee Ross Stadium this Friday to open conference play against RV Freed-Hardeman. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT, and fans can watch the Phoenix on gocumberlandathletics.com.