PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- Twice the University of Pikeville softball team lost late leads as sixth-ranked Campbellsville finished off a series sweep with wins of 6-4 and 3-2 on Saturday at Paul Butcher Field.

Jordan Gentry and Logan Cline paced the Bears (9-19, 1-9 MSC) in the opener with two hits each, including two doubles from Cline and an RBI from each. Hannah Skaggs (1-2) went the distance to take the loss, scattering 10 hits for six runs with three strikeouts.

Brianna Scott went 2 for 2 and drew two walks with a pair of RBIs for the Tigers (23-7, 10-0 MSC) in game one and Rachel Denkins (3-0) grabbed the win after allowing a run on four hits in 3 2/3 innings.

UPIKE managed just two hits in the finale from Cline and Gentry as Hannah Thacker (3-5) took the loss after allowing three runs on eight hits in five innings with two strikeouts.

Alexis Smith paced Campbellsville in game two, going 3 for 3 with a two-run homer. Neely Quint improved to 11-4 with the win, allowing two runs on just two hits with three strikeouts as her defense committed three errors.

No. 6 Campbellsville 6, UPIKE 4

UPIKE got off to a hot start in the first inning when Hannah Absher doubled and later scored on a pair of passed balls. Later in the inning, Cline traded places with Kitty Raymond on a double to put the Bears in front 2-0.

Behind stellar pitching from Skaggs, UPIKE worked to protect that lead over the next three frames, keeping the Tigers' bats quiet until Mia Aldridge led off the fourth with a home run to left field. Still, Skaggs stayed solid and got out of the inning with no more damage.

With its lead down to one run, UPIKE got a much-needed insurance score in the bottom of the fourth when Gentry hit a shallow, two-out single to the pitcher's circle to bring home Cline.

After a scoreless fifth, Campbellsville found a way to tie the game as Scott walked, made it to third on passed balls and eventually scored on a wild throw from behind the plate by Raymond. One batter later, Tori Humphrey hit an RBI single to right to knot the score.

With one out in the top of the seventh, Smith laid down a squeeze bunt, but Madison Mudd was thrown out at home by Skaggs. However, during some confusion at the plate with a call being argued on a live ball, Raymond threw a ball away to second, allowing a run to score.

Making matters worse, Scott hit a two-run blast during the next at-bat to build a 6-3 lead. Raymond got one run back with a sac fly in the bottom of the inning, but Cline grounded out softly to the pitcher to bring the game to a close.  

No. 6 Campbellsville 3, UPIKE 2

Game two saw the Tigers take the early lead as Jacqueline Roof led off with a double, moved to third on a sac bunt and scored on Mia Aldridge's single to left field.

But errors caught up with Campbellsville in the third inning as it threw three balls away, allowing UPIKE to claw to a 2-1 lead. Gentry singled and later scored on an error by Quint and Lee Griffin scored the go-ahead run when Roof had a wild throw at shortstop trying to throw out Hannah Absher after a sac bunt.

UPIKE stayed in front until the fifth inning when Smith hit a two-out, two-run home run to right on the first pitch of her at-bat to put the Tigers up 3-2.

Alexandra Quill took over for Hannah Thacker in the circle in the sixth inning and promptly had a three up, three down frame, but the Bears couldn't take advantage by doing the same thing in their half. The seventh was similar with the Tigers sending three batters to the plate and UPIKE getting nothing else but a single by Cline as a line-drive double play ended it.

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