Dawgs take TSC tourney opener 11-5

JACKSON — Bucking a day-long trend on the first day of the TranSouth Conference tournament, No. 2 seed Cumberland knocked off No. 7 Union, the host school, 11-5 at Fesmire Field on Tuesday night.
The lower-seeded teams won each of the first three games, including No. 8 Crichton, which began the day with a 3-1 upset of top-seed Trevecca.
Also on the first day, No. 6 Bethel came from behind in the ninth inning to knock off No. 3 Freed-Hardeman 5-4 to advance to a 7 p.m. game tonight against the Bulldogs, who will bring a 38-17-1 record into the winner's bracket semifinals.
The Bulldogs scored three times in the top of the first inning and ace Robert Clayton, bouncing back from a 14-0 thumping at the bats of Trevecca last Friday, held Union at bay for seven innings before Matt Madigan and Aaron Tant finished. Clayton allowed two runs [one earned] on eight hits with no walks and five strikeouts to bring his season record to 10-2.
Cumberland compiled 16 hits against a trio of Union pitchers, including 11 off starter Greg Abram, who was charged with seven runs through seven innings.
Clint Alexander and Jeremy Wilson each drove in three runs on three hits. Alexander gave Cumberland a 1-0 lead on a first-inning single through the hole at shortstop and Wilson followed with a two-run double down the right-field line.
Union climbed to within a run in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Zach Lowery and a sacrifice fly by Joe Robinson.
Clayton held Union in check until his teammates gave him some breathing room in the fifth on RBI singles by Wilson and Luis Martinez.
Jason Bush added two more in the seventh on his first home run of the season, over the right-field fence.
The Bulldogs broke it open in the eighth with four runs. Eric Mull drilled a two-run double to deep left-center and Alexander added a two-run single.
Union [32-17] tried to get back in the game in the bottom of the eighth against Madigan with Cody Willoughby, who had three of the host Bulldogs' [both teams use the same mascot] 10 hits, singling up the middle to score the final two of them.
Leadoff batter James Lilley lashed out two hits and scored three times for Cumberland.
Wilson Countians shine on Day 1
Freed-Hardeman senior Justin Forrest of Lebanon, who was announced to the All-TranSouth Conference first team prior to the Cumberland game, doubled and scored three times in the Lions' loss to Bethel.
Mt. Juliet-alum Taylor Bates hit a two-run single and a sacrifice fly for No. 4 seed Martin Methodist. But it wasn't enough as No. 5 Lyon scored five times in the ninth inning to stun the RedHawks 14-11.
Today's schedule
Second-day action begins with elimination games at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. today. Trevecca will take on Martin Methodist in the first game. The Trojans, ranked seventh in the NAIA poll [pending the release of a new rating today] already has a berth in next week's Region XI tournament at Georgetown, Ky., as does Cumberland. Union will face Freed-Hardeman at 1.
First-day winners will follow with Crichton taking on Lyon at 4 p.m. and Bethel meeting Cumberland at 7.
TranSouth softball begins today
Down the road in Henderson, the TranSouth Conference softball tournament begins at Freed-Hardeman. Cumberland, seeded sixth, will take on No. 3 Union at 7:30 p.m. in a softball rematch of Tuesday's baseball game. Like the baseball tournament, this is also double elimination.