PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- The University of Pikeville baseball team pushed its winning streak to five games after putting together a pair of wins against Cincinnati Christian, 5-4 in eight innings and 6-3, on Saturday at Johnnie LeMaster Field.

Game One

Josh Bailey doubled and later scored to give UPIKE (5-2) a strong start in the first inning with a 1-0 lead. But the good vibes didn't last long as Cincinnati Christian scored four runs over the next three innings to take a 4-1 advantage.

For the Bears to have a chance at a comeback, they needed to cool the Eagles' bats and reliever Aaron Hedgecock did just that. Cincinnati Christian (0-2) had scored its four runs on six hits, but over the next three frames, Hedgecock allowed zero runs and scattered just three hits.

While Hedgecock dealed, UPIKE went to work with its bats, adding a single run in the fifth as Mike Peluffo reached on a dropped fly ball and came around to score on a pair of groundouts. Down two in the final inning of regulation, Erik Manning singled to center scored on Peluffo's groundout, while pinch hitter Daniel Sterenberg delivered the tying run with a sacrifice fly to left.

The teams only needed one extra inning to decide things as A.J. Carkner came in to earn a one-inning win on the mound. It was a 1-2-3 from for Carkner as he ended the side with a groundout, strikeout and groundout. The bottom half started with Connor Osborne drawing a walk, moving to second on Jacob DiThomas' sac bunt, then scoring the winning run on Justin Beatty's scorcher down the left-field line.

Game Two  

Mirroring a lot of the action from the opener, it was Cincinnati Christian taking a one-run lead in the early going this time around. But after three scoreless frames, the Bears got things rolling late with two runs in the fourth, three in the fifth and one in the sixth to take a 6-2 lead heading into the seventh inning.

Osborne and Peluffo tallied the first two RBIs, then DiThomas stepped on the gas in the fifth inning with an RBI double that jumpstarted the three-run effort in the frame.

The difference in game two is that UPIKE didn't give up its lead, even though the Eagles made a small run at it.

Logan Sales replaced starter Dalton Dahley on the mound for the final 1 1/3 innings after Cincinnati Christian scored a run with two outs in the sixth inning to get within four. Sales walked his first batter, but responded by getting a groundout to end the sixth.

The Eagles tallied two more hits on Sales in the seventh to add another run, but the senior got a big play from his defense with a double play on a lineout to second to secure the save after allowing a single run on two hits.

Dahley earned the win after scattering three hits for two runs with nine strikeouts and three walks in 5 2/3 innings of work. Payton Jenkins took the loss for the Eagles after giving up five runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.

UPIKE 5, Cincinnati Christian 4 (8 innings)

C Justin Beatty: 1-3, 2 RBI, SF

CF Josh Bailey: 1-3, 2B, R

1B Eric Tucker: 1-3, 2B

P Aaron Hedgecock: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 K

UPIKE 6, Cincinnati Christian 3

SS Jacob DiThomas: 1-4, 2 RBI, 1 R, 2B

CF Scottie Whitaker: 2-2, 2 SB, SH

P Dalton Dahley: 5.2 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 9 K, 3 BB

UP Next

UPIKE hosts Asbury at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday for a single, nine-inning game at Paul Butcher Field.     

-UPIKE-