BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – On Saturday, May 3rd, the Campbellsville Tigers faced off against the Cumberlands Patriots in the Mid-South Conference Tournament semi-final. The Tigers knew it would be a dogfight, as the Patriots swept them during the regular season. Unfortunately, the Tigers were knocked out of the tournament and lost the game, 6-2.

​After the Tigers' offense was sat down in order in the top of the first inning, Ethan Wood toed the rubber for the Tigers in the bottom of the frame. Making his first start and 15th appearance of the season, Wood set the tone and recorded a 1-2-3 inning.

​Antony Gilbert got the offense going in the top of the second inning with a leadoff single to center field. Yosuke Fujie followed up with a single to right-center field that advanced Gilbert to third base. With a ground ball to third base hit by Tate Wischnack, Gilbert was thrown out at home, but Fujie and Wischnack were both safe at first and second. The next two batters were retired in order, and the Tigers were unable to capitalize.

​Wood continued on the mound in the bottom of the second inning and recorded another perfect frame, bringing the Tigers' offense back to the plate in the top of the third. Lorenzo Gonzalez found his way on with a one-out bunt single and was pinch-run for by Trey Proctor. The Patriots were able to escape the inning unharmed with a strikeout and a caught-stealing.

​In the bottom of the third inning, Wood continued his domination and didn't allow a baserunner for the third straight inning. Meanwhile, in the top of the fourth inning, Zane Skansi gave the Tigers their fifth baserunner of the game with a leadoff double down the left-field line. After the next two batters were retired, Wischnack worked a walk, though both men were left stranded to end the inning.

​In the bottom of the fourth inning, Wood ran into trouble and worked the bases loaded on a walk and a pair of hit batters without recording an out. The next batter recorded the Patriots' first hit of the game with a single to right-center field that plated two runs. Needing to minimize the damage, the Tigers called for Jackson Dollar to take over on the mound with runners at the corners. Making his 16th appearance of the season, Dollar retired the first batter he faced with a groundout, though the Patriots plated another run. After Dollar collected the second out, the Patriots cashed in their fourth run with a single to right-center field. Dollar minimized the damage and ended the inning with a strikeout.

​Now chasing the lead, the Tigers looked to punch back in the top of the fifth inning. Tanner Park was the man for the job, as he led off with a no-doubt bomb to left field for his seventh homer of the season. Jaxson Grubbs followed up with a double to right-center field to give the Tigers a runner in scoring position with no outs, though he wound up being left stranded.

​Taking over on the mound in the bottom of the fifth inning was Chase Tucker, making his 17th appearance of the season for the Tigers. The righty was absolutely dominant out of the bullpen and took the game through the seventh inning, retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced, with the only man reaching base on an error.

​The Tigers looked to cut deeper into the lead in the top of the sixth inning. Gilbert led off with a single to center field, and then Fujie moved him to scoring position with a walk. Wischnack moved Gilbert to third base with a flyout to right field, and then Henry Wright brought him home with a groundout. The lone run was all the Tigers managed in the inning.

​As Tucker was busy rolling through the Patriots' lineup, Grubbs led off the top of the seventh inning with a walk and was pinch-run for by Brock Brubaker. Gonzalez followed up with a single to center field for his second hit of the day. Trent Buchanan tried to move the runners up with a sac-bunt, though the Patriots were able to get the out at third base, and then they escaped the jam with a momentum-shifting double play.

​After Tucker finished the seventh inning, the Tigers ran into a five-hour rain delay, and Gilbert stepped to the plate in the top of the eighth inning when the game resumed. Gilbert gave the Tigers a chance with a leadoff single, though he was left stranded at first base.

​Following the rain delay, the Tigers could no longer pitch Tucker, so they called for Joe McBride to take the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning. The righty quickly ran into trouble after a leadoff walk and a single put runners at the corners. A ball in the dirt allowed the runner at first base to advance, and then the Patriots added to their lead with a sac-fly to right field. McBride struck out the next batter on another ball in the dirt, and then the runner at third attempted to score, but Gonzalez made it back to the plate in time to tag the runner and save a run. The batter who struck out reached first base safely and then advanced to scoring position after another walk. The Patriots made it hurt with an RBI-single up the middle before McBride could finish the inning.

​Down to their final three outs, the Tigers made one final push to come back in the top of the ninth inning. After the first two batters were sat down, Gonzalez and Buchanan gave the Tigers hope with a pair of two-out singles. Unfortunately, the offense couldn't capitalize, and both runners were stranded.

​The Tigers were knocked out of the tournament and lost the game with two runs on 11 hits and one error, while the Patriots won with six runs on four hits and no errors.