Cumberland wins 2 of 3 from Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — It was a slow start to Cumberland's spring-break trip earlier this week as the Bulldogs lost their first three games before bouncing back to beat Oklahoma City in two straight.
The No. 23 Bulldogs lost to Southern Nazarene 11-7 Monday afternoon before falling to Oklahoma City 7-2 that night. They dropped an 8-6 decision to College of the Ozarks in Tuesday's day game before beating Oklahoma City 5-3 that night in 10 innings and 6-2 Wednesday as Cumberland took 2 of 3 from the Chiefs in a rematch of the teams' 2004 national championship game won by CU.
Cumberland returned to Lebanon with a 16-9-1 record and will host Martin Methodist in a three-game TranSouth Conference series this weekend. They will play a noon double header Saturday and a 1 p.m. single contest Sunday at Woody Hunt Stadium.
Southern Nazarene 11, Cumberland 7
Jared Elmore drove in four runs on three hits to lead Nazarene's 12-hit parade against a quartet of Cumberland pitchers.
Starter Matt Madigan gave up eight runs on seven hits in the first two innings to take the loss. Matt Burton, Ryan Gregory and James Parker followed to the mound. Burton and Parker are Wilson Central graduates.
Eric Mull doubled twice as he, Preston Potter and James Lilley each drove in two runs for Cumberland.
Oklahoma City 7, Cumberland 2
A five-run fifth inning doomed Myles Anderson to his first loss of the season after two opening wins. David Dennis' two-run double was the big blow. Leadoff batter Kody Kaiser had three of the Chiefs' 10 hits.
The Bulldogs scored both their runs in the seventh on RBI singles by Mull and Lilley. Clint Alexander had two of Cumberland's seven hits.
College of the Ozarks 8, Cumberland 6
The Arkansas team broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the third and added another pair of two-spots in the fourth and fifth. Casey Hefler homered and drove in three scores for the winners, who outhit the Bulldogs 12-11.
Starter Kevin Bufford pitched the first four innings to take the loss.
Jeremy Wilson got Cumberland back in the game with a three-run double in the sixth. Mull and Austin Morgan each managed a couple of hits.
Cumberland 5, Oklahoma City 3 [10 innings]
RBI singles by Mull, Alexander and Luis Martinez brok a 2-2 tie in the 10th inning. Mull's ninth home run of the season, leading off the fourth, brought the Bulldogs into the tie.
Senior closer Adam Tomlinson of Friendship Christian pitched the final two innings to improve to 2-0. He allowed a run in the bottom of the 10th. Robert Clayton tossed the first six frames before Zach Whitmer, set to start one of the Martin Methodist games this weekend, got two innings of scoreless, one-hit work in.
Alexander had three hits while Mull, Martinez and Courtney Propst had two each as the 2004 national champions beat the '05 champs.
Cumberland 6, Oklahoma City 2
The Bulldogs broke a 1-1 tie with five in the top of the seventh, capped by Alexander's three-run double.
Aaron Tant tossed the first six innings to pull even for the season at 1-1. Anthony Fomasi fired two innings and Tomlinson one.
Alexander had three hits as each team had seven safeties.
Oklahoma City, ranked second in the NAIA, slipped to 22-5.