DAYTON, Tenn. — Bryan College has seen plenty of Cumberland (TN) this season, and the Lions keep delivering the same result. Behind a four-home run barrage and a dominant eight-pitcher effort from the mound, Bryan defeated the Phoenix 13-6 on Tuesday evening at Senter Field, completing a season sweep of Cumberland and improving to 12-11 on the year.
The Lions had already beaten Cumberland 13-7 earlier this season, and Tuesday's rematch played out with a similarly convincing margin. Bryan fell behind early — Cumberland drew first blood in the top of the first on an RBI error and added another run in the third on an RBI single from Wilser Then — but the Lions answered emphatically in the bottom of the third and never looked back.
Shortstop
Cyrus Campos got Bryan on the board in the third with a two-run shot to center, tying the game at 2-2 and igniting a rally that produced three runs in the frame. From there, the home runs kept coming.
Logan Stradley added a solo shot in the fourth,
Will Curcio launched a two-run blast in the fifth — his first of two multi-RBI innings — and
Denajh Williams capped the scoring in the eighth with a solo homer to make it a seven-run final margin.
The fifth inning was the decisive frame. Bryan sent ten batters to the plate, scored seven runs, and turned a 2-4 deficit into an 11-2 lead. The damage came in waves: Curcio's homer, a run-scoring single from
Cade Cook, a two-RBI double by
Jack Reynolds, and then a pair of wild pitches that allowed an additional run to score.
Jayron Morris added a sacrifice fly to cap the outburst.
The lone bright spot in a tough night for Cumberland was first baseman Wilser Then, who went 3-for-5 with a double, a three-run home run in the seventh, and five RBI. Then's blast in the seventh briefly gave the Phoenix some life, cutting the deficit to 11-6, but Bryan's bullpen locked things down the rest of the way.
Bryan used nine pitchers on the evening, with
Eli Walker picking up the win to move to 1-0. Walker tossed a clean inning of work in the third and was sharp in his lone frame. The Lions' staff combined to allow 12 hits but kept Cumberland to just six runs, with closer
Ryan Ely finishing things off with a scoreless ninth on 19 pitches.
Cumberland starter Kyle Niebow took the loss, giving up three runs over three innings while walking three. Colson Smith struggled in relief, allowing six runs in just 1.1 innings as Bryan's fifth-inning surge blew the game open. Jaron Keyser provided stability late, going three innings and allowing just two earned runs.
Bryan College improves to 12-11 (5-4 in conference) and will look to build on the wins over the Phoenix. The Lions have a tough upcoming series against #5 Johnson University this weekend at home.
