WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. - The Indiana University Kokomo baseball team traveled to Williamsburg, Kentucky, Tuesday to battle the fourth-ranked Patriots of the University of the Cumberlands. UC beat IUK 12-2 in eight innings.

AJ Burkhalter got the midweek start on the mound for the Cougars, tossing three innings and allowing five earned runs on six hits and a walk while striking out a pair of Patriot hitters. Burkhalter is now 1-2 on the season.

The Patriots found the scoreboard first, hitting a pair of first inning home runs to take an early 3-0 lead. They would add a pair of runs in both the third and fourth innings, before the Cougars scratched a run across in the fifth.

IU Kokomo catcher Luke Hanson led off the top of the fifth with a single, before Tahj Borom was hit in the helmet a batter later. Brayden Coffey reached via bunt single to load the bases, before Alex Janke recorded a sac-fly to right for the Cougars first run of the game.

Alec Murphy relieved Burkhalter in the fourth, and after giving up a pair of runs on a long-ball, he would settle in and post a pair of zeros in the fifth and sixth.

Cumberlands would get to Murphy for three runs in the seventh however, making it a 10-1 lead through seven complete. Senior LHP Connor Hurt tossed the final inning and a third, allowing two earned runs on four hits while striking out a man.

Alex Janke doubled to lead off the eighth before scoring on a Jacob Medvescek bloop single to left, making it a 10-2 deficit for the Cougars.

Needing two runs for the run-rule victory, the fourth-ranked Patriots pushed two across in the bottom of the eighth to close out a 12-2 win over IU Kokomo.

The Cougars will return to Kokomo Municipal Stadium Thursday, as they will welcome the Bears of Shawnee State to town for a best of three series. The winner of the series will be the #3 seed in next week's River States Conference Championship, while the loser will settle for the #4 seed.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.