Cumberland U. Bulldogs split pair with Union

Jason Bush's walk-off home run leading off the eighth inning gave Cumberland the series win with a 5-4 victory over Union on Saturday at Woody Hunt Stadium.
But the visitors, who lost to Cumberland on Friday, staved off a three-game sweep by dealing the hosts [both teams are called the Bulldogs] a 4-2 loss in the nightcap of a TranSouth Conference double header.
Bush's leadoff blast down the right-field line was his first of the season and gave Aaron Tant [3-1] the win in relief of starter Zach Whitmer, who allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out eight in 6 2/3 innings. Tant tossed 1 1/3 frames, allowing a run on two hits and two walks while fanning two.
Union chased Whitmer and forced extra innings with three runs in the top of the seventh. Zach Lowery singled up the middle to bring two runners home before Joe Robinson singled home the tying run. But left-fielder Courtney Propst threw Lowery out at home to preserve the tie.
Cumberland had just taken a 4-1 lead with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Bush doubled down the right-field line to break a 1-1 tie before Propst singled to left to bring in two more.
The hosts pulled into the tie in the fourth when Eric Mull tripled down the right-field line and came home on Luis Martinez's single to center.
Kyle Blackwood's third-inning single staked Union to a 1-0 lead.
In the nightcap, Union wiped out a 1-0 Cumberland lead with all its runs during the fourth, fifth and sixth innings against senior Adam Tomlinson, who was making a rare start. The erstwhile closer allowed four hits and two walks while striking out seven as he fell to 3-2. Tant tossed the seventh.
Josiah Enyart hit a two-run triple in the fifth and Joe Robinson a solo homer in the sixth as Union improved to 22-13 for the season and 8-10 in the TranSouth Conference.
Cumberland collected eight hits off James Brasfield [5-1], but could muster no runs other than Mull's first-inning RBI single and Martinez's infield run-scoring single in the sixth as CU slipped to 27-14-1, 12-5.
The Bulldogs will travel to Campbellsville [Ky.] Tuesday for a 2 p.m. non-conference contest.