PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- The University of Pikeville baseball team hung around into the late stages of both games against Shawnee State (Ohio) on Sunday, but ran up against some big innings that led to two 9-5 and 5-1 losses at Johnnie LeMaster Field.
Catcher Cody Chagnon did his best to help the Bears to their first wins in Mid-South Conference play, collecting two hits, two RBIs, a double, walk and sacrifice fly. Austin Starling and centerfielder Josh Bailey joined him with doubles, but that was it for extra-base hits on the day.
Shawnee State finished with a 15-6 advantage in hits in the opener before putting together a slim 5-4 margin in game two. The Bears from Ohio had things rolling in game one, tallying nine doubles and a triple, while the nightcap was all about the home run hit by first baseman Mason Wisner and the grand slam off the bat of left fielder Adam Turner.
UPIKE's losses on the mound were taken by starter James Brooks who allowed five runs on 10 hits with seven strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings and starter Josh Bailey after scattering five hits for five runs with four strikeouts in 6 1/3 as well.
For SSU, it was reliever Brandon Bonar picking up the game-one win and starter Mike Watson taking care of business in the nightcap, giving up one run on four hits in a complete seven innings of work.
After Chagnon scored on a bases-loaded hit batter and third baseman Erik Manning scored off of Jacob DiThomas' sacrifice fly, UPIKE had a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning of game one. That lasted until the top of the seventh when SSU put together four runs on three hits, including two that hustled home after an error.
Game two saw another late collapse as Bailey had gotten UPIKE to the seventh inning tied 1-1 from the mound while also providing his own run support. Bailey singled to lead off the fourth, stole second and third base, then scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly from Chagnon.
Wisner tied things up during the first at-bat of the next inning with a home run before Turner hit his one-out grand slam in the seventh.
UPIKE is back in action at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday with a non-conference doubleheader against Miami-Hamilton (Ohio).
Â
