PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- The University of Pikeville softball team struggled to hit on its way to a pair of 6-3 and 12-2 (5 inn.) losses on Friday night at Paul Butcher Field.

None of the Bears had more than one hit in game one and none of the six hits it recorded went for extra bases. Kitty Raymond did the most with her hit, driving in one UPIKE (6-10) run.

UPIKE was outhit 17-3 in the nightcap as only Jillian Bohnert, Logan Cline and Alexandrea Quill tallied hits. Quill had the Bears' only extra-base hit of the night with a double.

A promising third inning saw the Bears grab a 3-1 lead in the opener as Ashley Goines and Destiny Molden led off with singles and later scored on an error and RBI single by Raymond. A third run scored when the Racers' Malorrie Huber had a throw to home get away from her.

But the two-run lead was short lived as Joey Brinegar got UNOH (7-3) going with a single before Kayla Ward hit a two-run homer to left field to tie the game. The Racers' go-ahead run came in the sixth inning on an RBI double by Mackenzie Watson.

Two UPIKE singles in the bottom of the sixth failed to produce anything when Logan Cline was picked off on the base paths, allowing the Racers to add two more runs to their lead on three hits and an error in the seventh. The Bears put runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom of the frame, but Jordan Gentry's fielder's choice grounder to third ended the rally.

Hannah Thacker dropped to 2-2 with the loss after scattering 14 hits for six run with three strikeouts in seven innings. UNOH's Aubrey Brunst improved to 2-2 by allowing three runs on six hits with seven batters struck out and no walks issued.

Neither team was great in the field as UNOH led the way in errors 4-3.

Heather Sanderson was dominant in the circle in game two, improving to 4-0 after allowing just two runs on three hits with one strikeout. Lindsay Floyd took the loss to drop to 2-2 after allowing eight runs on nine hits in 1 2/3 innings. Quill finished the game in the circle for UPIKE.

Northwestern Ohio had already built an 8-1 lead through two innings before UPIKE tallied single runs in the second and third frames. It looked like the game may go seven innings until UNOH tallied four runs on six hits in the fifth inning, a 3-RBI double by Brinegar.

The game came to an early close when the Bears went three up and three down to end things in the bottom of the fifth by run rule.

-UPIKE-