LEBANON, Tenn. -- Ryan Louthan's two-out two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning proved to be the game-winner as the University of St. Francis baseball team picked up its first win of the 2026 campaign with a 7-5 victory over host Cumberland University (Tenn.) on Thursday afternoon at Woody Hunt Stadium in Lebanon, Tenn.  After losing a 7-2 contest in the front end of the doubleheader, the Saints (1-1) closed out the afternoon on a solid note with the come-from-behind win.

Nate Maliska, who opened Game 1 with a leadoff single, collected three hits on the afternoon.  Louthan also had a big day offensively, authoring four RBIs while scoring a run in each end of the twinbill.  Maliska went 3-for-6 on the day, while Louthan was 3-for-7.

Also posting a trio of hits with two RBIs on the afternoon was Jake Merda.

Game 1:  Cumberland 7, USF 2
Cumberland (4-3) muscled up to produce two homeruns leading to a four-run fourth inning in the Saints' first game of the day.  The Phoenix would go on to add one run in the sixth inning before adding two more tallies in the seventh to make it 7-0.

Caleb Royer accounted for over half of Cumberland's run production going 3 for 4 with three runs batted in and two runs scored.  He delivered a solo homerun in the third inning and a two-RBI single in the seventh.

The Saints avoided the shutout by getting two runners in scoring position with one out in the ninth inning before Brian Graves drove them home on a double down the left field line. Prior to that inning, St. Francis had just one runner get beyond second base.

Seven separate Saints provided on hit apiece in the game with Hayden Host and Louthan accounting for USF's two runs.

Game 2:  USF 7, Cumberland 5
Similar to the first game, Cumberland got in front early with three runs in the first inning and two more by the end of the fourth. The biggest runs, however, came in the eighth inning, including Louthan's eventual game-winning two-out two-run home run.  Mitchell Thomas accounted for the other USF run in the final frame, using his hustle to score off a Merda sacrifice fly to tie the contest at five-all.  His leadoff walk put him on base before a sacrifice bunt pushed him to second base.  He then went to third on an infield single from Max Montgomery before scoring on Merda's sacrifice fly.

Louthan's homerun was one of two RBI knocks for the junior third baseman in the game. He also had one in the third that plated Montgomery, who had reached base on a fielder's choice.  USF's other run in the third inning came courtesy of a Thomas triple and a Montgomery RBI fielder's choice.

In the fifth, Louthan again had a part to play in plating another USF run, this time via a sacrifice fly.  Thomas accounted for another run earlier in the inning when he scored off a Merda RBI double.

Cumberland used the long ball to account for four of its five runs in the game.  The hosts scored their final run with a base hit to left field, before Cristopher Villwock took the mound in relief to record the final out of the fourth inning.

Villwock (1-0) authored a strong relief appearance on the mound, allowing just one hit over his three innings of work.  He did not give up an earned run, while being credited with the win in his 2026 debut.

Zac Blazekovich was credited with the save after keeping the lid on Cumberland's offensive output with two strikeouts in one scoreless inning to finish out the game.

Up Next
The Saints will square off against Cumberland again on Friday in a single-game contest as part of its three-day road trip.  Game time is slated for 1 pm.

You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.