Solid Pitching, Timely Hitting, & Triple Play Helps Cats Advance in MSC Tournament
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- The top two seeds in the 2026 Mid-South Conference Baseball Tournament Wednesday lost during the second day of the tournament at Bowling Green Ballpark.
No. 6-seed Bethel (Tenn.) won twice, including beating top-seeded Cumberlands (Ky.), and No. 5-seed Campbellsville (Ky.) knocked off second-seeded Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) in a topsy-turvy day.
Bethel (13-28) beat No. 7-seed Georgetown (Ky.) in a game that was completed after being halted Tuesday night due to heavy rains and lightning, just before upending top-seed and regular-season champion Cumberlands (Ky.).
No. 3-seed Cumberland (Tenn.) beat No. 4-seed Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) in the nightcap to remain in the winner's bracket.
6) Bethel (Tenn.) def. 7) Georgetown (Ky.) - 4-3 (10 innings)
Cade Pilkinton's 10th-inning double down the rightfield line helped Bethel to a 4-3 walk-off win in an elimination game.
The game resumed Wednesday after heavy rain hit the Bowling Green area on Tuesday night, forcing a stoppage after six innings.
Bethel led 3-2 entering the seventh inning, only to have Georgetown (16-33) tie the game and ultimately force extra innings.
Pilkinton finished the game with a pair of hits, one of four Wildcats with a multi-hit game. CJ Lattimore led the way for the Bethel offense with three hits. Jaun Diego Ramos added two hits and two RBIs in the win.
Peyton Martin picked up the win in relief, striking out the only two hitters he faced.
With the win, Bethel earned its way into the double-elimination tournament and a meeting with Cumberlands.
6) Bethel (Tenn.) def. 1) Cumberlands (Ky.) - 4-1 (10 innings)
Bethel kept its extra-inning magic going in a 4-1 win over the top-seeded Patriots (41-8).
Martin picked up his second win in as many games as the Wildcat pitching limited the potent Cumberlands offense.
Martin did not allow a hit in his two innings of relief work to earn the win. Adrel Vega recorded the final three outs for his first save of the season. Starter Walker Ward allowed just one run while scattering seven hits to give the Wildcats a chance at the win.
Cumberlands had its chances, leaving 14 runners on base after out-hitting the Wildcats 8-3.
Cumberlands loaded the bases in the eighth, but the Cats pulled off a triple play to get out of the inning.
Watch the play at:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1656821618794553
Bethel opened the decisive inning with a pair of walks. Two sacrifice bunts later, the last a RBI sacrifice by Tyler Webb, gave the Wildcats a 2-1 lead. Zayden McCaslin added insurance with a two-run single to push the advantage to 4-1 en route to the win.
Bethel advances in the winners' bracket to face Lindsey Wilson at 2:30 p.m. CT on Thursday. Cumberlands meets Freed-Hardeman in an elimination game at 11 a.m. CT.
5) Campbellsville (Ky.) def. 2) Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) - 12-11
Campbellsville (26-21) overcame an 8-4 deficit with seven runs in the seventh and eighth innings to beat Freed-Hardeman (32-16) 12-11.
The Tigers pounded out a tournament-best 20 hits in the win, scoring multiple runs in three different innings. Campbellsville also took advantage of six Freed-Hardeman walks, including two with bases loaded.
The Tigers erased deficits of 2-1, 10-5, and 11-8.
Antony Gilbert had a game-high five hits, a run, and an RBI, while Brady Henke added three hits and four RBIs to lead the Tiger offense.
Reid Turner earned the win in relief for Campbellsville. He hurled three scoreless, hitless innings while striking out one Lion batter.
Campbellsville advances to play Cumberland at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday.
3) Cumberland (Tenn.) def. 4) Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) - 5-3
Cumberland scored five unanswered runs and shut down Lindsey Wilson after a hot start in the win. The Phoenix (24-25) fell behind 3-0 after two innings before mounting their comeback.
Gabriel Reyes, Caleb Royer, and Cohl Proctor all provided an RBI in a three-run fourth inning to tie the game at 3-3. Gaines Haussin put Cumberland up for good in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run home run en route to the win.
Logan Baskin picked up the win after a rugged start. After allowing the three runs, two earned, on four hits in the first two innings, Baskin surrendered just two hits without allowing a run over his final five innings of work.
Cumberland advances to play Campbellsville in a winner's bracket game, while Lindsey Wilson meets Bethel in an elimination game for the Blue Raiders.
The Cats and the Raiders played a late season three game series in Columbia with Lindsey taking two of the three games. All games were decided by one run.
Lindsey Wilson is 19-28 on the season. The programs have met 24 times with Bethel holding a 16-8 advantage between the two.
Tournament Page:
https://mid-southconference.org/sports/2026/4/28/BB_0427264636.aspx