LAURINBURG, N.C. -- The University of Pikeville baseball team put together another split at St. Andrews on Sunday, erupting for a 17-3 win in the opener before falling 8-7 in the seventh inning of the finale.

UPIKE's 14-run win ended by run rule after five innings and the game two loss came in the bottom of the seventh after the teams entered the frame tied 7-7.

Aaron Hedgecock collected the win on the bump in game one after scattering six hits for three runs in 4 1/3 innings with two strikeouts. Brandon Sewell was stuck with the loss in game two after allowing a double and single in the seventh inning to score the game-winning run.

GAME ONE - UPIKE 17, St. Andrews 3 (5 inn.)

After going into the third inning tied 1-1, UPIKE (2-2) scored seven runs in the third and nine more in the fourth to break away for a 17-3 win in the first game of the day. Down 8-1 in the third inning St. Andrews scored two more runs, but that was all the Knights could muster as the nine runs in the fourth led to a shortened game.

Josh Bailey and Sewell collected three hits each for UPIKE with Sewell roping two doubles and Bailey adding a triple and two stolen bases.

No one from the Knights (2-3) had more than one hit as Hedgecock impressed on the mound before handing the game over to Max Hall for the final two outs.

The go-ahead run was scored on Beatty's double to right field in the third inning that scored Bailey to make it 2-1. But the good times were far from over as the Bears ended up with seven runs on five hits in the inning, followed by nine runs on six hits in the fourth.

Already up 11-3, UPIKE put the game away with Bailey's three-run triple to left centerfield, followed by run-scoring singles from third baseman Travis Haen and right fielder Matt Peterson.

GAME TWO - St. Andrews 8, UPIKE 7

There would be no big leads in game two as UPIKE led St. Andrews 5-4 after a high-scoring first inning. The Knights pushed ahead 6-5 with two runs in the third inning before the Bears tied it up at six runs each on Haen's sacrifice fly to right field.

Things stayed even at 7-7 in the fifth as Kase Mattingly ripped an RBI single to left for UPIKE, followed by Matt Perkins scoring for St. Andrews on a sac bunt.

St. Andrews started the seventh forcing UPIKE into a 1-2-3 inning which allowed it to score the game-winning run with three straight strong plate appearances in the bottom of the frame.

Mikey Morgan led off with a double to center, moved to third on Tiger Miller's sac bunt, then later scored on Alejandro Roque's walk-off single to end the game.

Bailey started the game on the mound for UPIKE, allowing six runs on eight hits with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings. A.J. Carkner pitched the next 2 1/3, allowing just one run on four hits before Sewell took to the mound with two outs in the sixth.

Zach Mathes tallied the win after throwing the final two frames where he allowed just one hit while getting five batters to ground out and one to fly out.

Beatty, Mattingly and Daniel Sterenburg led the Bears with two hits each, while Mattingly did the most with them, driving in three runs.    

UP NEXT

UPIKE returns to the field at 2 p.m. ET on Friday with a doubleheader against Point in East Point, Ga.

-UPIKE-