ST. CATHARINE, Ky. – Madison Gonzalez hit a three-run homer and Leah Newsome allowed one earned run in a complete game, but Carly Benz’s RBI single in the seventh won the opener and a two-run home run from Brandi Hood in the sixth was the game-winner in a doubleheader sweep for St. Catharine College here Thursday over Cumberland.

The Bulldogs (12-28, 8-6 Mid-South) lost both games in their opponents’ final at-bat, the first one after tying the contest in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Jessica Roper, but Benz’s bases-loaded single to center plated the winning run in the bottom of the seventh in a 2-1 SCC win.

Cumberland held a 6-5 edge headed to the sixth in the second contest, but a two-out single by Katie Hansgen scored pinch-runner Jessica Burgess. Hood then drilled the first pitch over the wall in left for her fifth home run of the season and the sweep for the Patriots (15-25, 9-15).

CU’s Leah Newsome (6-14) got the loss in the opener, allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits. She walked three and struck out two. Krystal Cammuse (6-13) allowed just one hit and an unearned run with two walks and nine strikeouts to get the victory. CU had just one baserunner get as far as second base and that came after two throwing errors in the seventh that allowed the Bulldogs to tie the game.

Brittany McKee (4-1), the second of three SCC hurlers, got the win in the second contest. She worked four shutout frames, allowing three hits with one strikeout. Cammuse got the final three outs for her first save.

Crystal Bryant (0-2) suffered the loss despite retiring nine straight batters after entering the contest. She gave up three runs on three hits in four innings. The Bulldogs were snake-bit in the second game as well at the plate, with Gonzalez hitting two line drives for outs and Bryant, Katelyn Nowakowski and Kaleigh Pearce all hit hard ground balls right at defenders.

The Patriots got on the board in the second inning of the opener after a leadoff double down the rightfield line by Shelbi Thornhill, off the glove of a sliding Brianna Gregory as she neared the fence down the line. She went to third on a groundout by Cammuse and McKee and Christina Day both walked, loading the bases.

Hansgen’s line shot up the middle nailed Newsome and bounced off of her toward the plate, scoring Thornhill, but Newsome shook it off and got a popout and a strikeout to end the inning without any further damage.

The Patriots lined into a pair of doubleplays with runners on second to end innings in the fourth and sixth.

A pair of St. Catharine errors in the seventh helped CU tie the contest.

Gregory reached on a throwing error by Cammuse to leadoff and Tessa Tomaselli’s sacrifice bunt was thrown away by third baseman McKee, putting runners on first and third with no outs. The Bulldogs tried the double steal, but Gregory was thrown out at the plate, though with a phantom tag.

Pinch-runner Kaycee Harris did a good job on the play, taking third when the throw went to the plate, and scored on Roper’s sac fly to center, knotting the game at one.

The Bulldogs gave the run back in the bottom of the inning though, with Day reaching on an error by shortstop Giselle Delgado to start the inning and pinch-runner Emily Fenwick moving to second on Hansgen’s sac bunt. Hood dumped a single into short rightcenter, putting runners on the corners, but Tiffany Wickline popped out.

Kelsey Gravens was hit, loading the bases, and Benz ripped a two-out single to center, plating the winning run for a 2-1 SCC victory.

Cumberland struck first in the second game thanks to a pair of walks and a big fly.

Vienna Benavides fouled off five pitches before drawing a walk with one out in the first and Pearce dropped a single into short center before another free pass to Tomaselli loaded the bases. Roper’s groundout to first scored a run and Gonzalez followed with a line drive over the wall in leftcenter, her fourth home run of the year, for a 4-0 lead after a half inning.

The Patriots came back with two runs in their half of the frame, with a leadoff walk to Wickline followed by a double to right by Gravens, over the head of Brittany Rasmussen. A wild pitch allowed one run to score and a single to center by Benz plated the other, but CU starter Kristen Abell settled down with a pair of pop-ups and a groundout to end the inning.

Cumberland came right back in the second, with Abell drawing a leadoff walk and taking second on Sydney Broderick’s sac bunt. Kassydi Montgomery singled to left, putting runners on the corners, and a ground ball to the pitcher pushed Montgomery to second. Rasmussen’s two-out single to short center scored both runners, extending the CU advantage to 6-2.

In the bottom of the inning Day and Hood both walked and with two outs Gravens ripped a ball through the legs of Delgado at short. The ball went all the way to the wall and both runners came across, cutting the Bulldog lead to 6-4.

Thornhill’s solo homer to start the third made it a 6-5 game and ended the day for Abell, who allowed five runs, three earned, on three hits with three walks in two-plus innings.

Cumberland held onto the one-run edge until the sixth when Cammuse led off with a ground ball single to left. Burgess took second on McKee’s bunt and reached third on a groundout by Day. With two outs Hansgen beat out an infield single to deep short and Hood followed with a line drive homer to left for the game-winning runs.

The two teams play again Friday at 1 p.m. Eastern Time to conclude the regular season.