PULASKI, Tenn. - Martin Methodist baseball stunned No. 7 Cumberland University over the weekend taking two games of a three-game series from the Bulldogs.
Keith Tidwell led the offense with two hits, including a triple, in a seven hit performance for MMC in the first game win, as a stellar RedHawk defense backed the bats. Josh Brown went six innings on the hill, allowing just three hits and fanning four batters.
The RedHawks broke through the first two scoreless innings in the bottom of the third, as Justin McQueen reached on a base hit and was sacrificed over by Zack Bailey. A second out ground ball moved McQueen to just 90 feet from home plate, and Matt Franklin delivered a double down the right field line for a 1-0 lead.
Cumberland stirred up trouble in the top of the fourth, drawing a leadoff walk and putting a second runner on with a single. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, and a second walk loaded the bases. A base hit scored the tying run, and the go-ahead crossed the plate on a fielder's choice to put the Bulldogs up by one.
MMC quickly evened the score when Clint Gobbell drew a two-out walk and stole second to advance into scoring position. Tidwell answered the call with a triple left field, scoring Gobbell and tying the game at 2-2.
As the close of the game neared and the score still locked, Martin Methodist sparked in the bottom of the sixth. As Tidwell came to the plate with two down, he laced one through the hole at short, advancing to second on a wild throw that also allowed McQueen to reach. Bailey used a game-winning single to plate Tidwell, and give MMC a 3-2 edge heading into the seventh.
Closer Brock Glass entered in the seventh in relief for Brown, allowing a leadoff single to put the potential tying run on base. As the next batter bunted and reached on a wild throw, the RedHawk offense caught the lead runner off-guard, forcing a run down between second and third that would lead to the first out on the tag of McQueen.
Glass then found his rhythm, sitting down the next two batters on strikeouts to earn his seventh season save, ranking him fourth nationally in saves this season.
The RedHawks struggled to find their momentum in the second game, as the Bulldogs used a five-run second frame to take an early lead.
CU threatened again in the top of the third, but as McQueen erased the baserunners with an on-the-run catch on a long foul ball on the third base side, MMC opened their scoring in the bottom of the inning. Bailey led off the inning with a double, and advanced to third on a Ryan Jett single. Jett then danced off the first base bag, drawing three pickoff attempts, the third going wild to score Bailey. Matt Thomas then launched one over the centerfield wall on a 3-2 count to cut the deficit to 5-3.
Starter Steven Dodson settled in by the fourth inning, as a first and third situation with two outs again threatened the lead, but the right-hander forced a ground ball third out to escape unharmed.
After going down in order in bottom of the fourth, the RedHawks again worked out of a jam, giving them momentum into the fifth. With two outs, Thomas singled through the right side, and on a 3-1 count, Holley took one deep to tie the game at 5-5.
Both teams were silent in the sixth, but a detrimental seventh saw the Bulldogs pull ahead by two to clinch the game by a 7-5 score, as Dodson suffered the loss.
MMC improves to 19-12 overall, and 3-2 in the TranSouth, clenching the series, as MMC snaps an 11-game win streak with the third game loss. MMC takes a break from league play with a nine-inning game with Lindsey Wilson College on Tuesday, March 20th at 4pm.
