LEBANON, Tenn. – After the first two contests of a four-game, Mid-South Conference series, the University of Pikeville and Cumberland softball teams are even at 1-1 as the Phoenix won the opener 10-8 and the Bears claimed game two 8-4 on Friday.

The series is scheduled to wrap up starting at Noon ET on Saturday with two more games.

Cumberland (14-21, 2-13 MSC) got a pitching win from Kaitlin Kralj in the opener, allowing five unearned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and UPIKE (13-24, 3-13) got its win in the circle from Hannah Skaggs who scattered nine hits for four runs with seven strikeouts

Cumberland 10, UPIKE 8

The Bears got home runs from unlikely sources in their only hits of the game as Jordan Gentry went yard for the second time in her career and Hannah Thacker had her first long ball, but in the end the Phoenix used five UPIKE errors and consistent offense to grab the win.

UPIKE looked good in the second inning when it went up 4-0 on Gentry's grand slam, but it wouldn't score again until the fifth inning. In the meantime, Cumberland methodically made its comeback, tallying a pair of runs in the second, three more in the third and a single run in the fourth on Jocelyn Hernandez's RBI double.

The 4-0 lead was now a 6-4 deficit and it was time for the Bears' offense to get clicking. They did get one run back in the fifth when Jill Bohnert doubled, moved to third on an out and later scored on an error at first base, but Cumberland dealt a blow in the bottom with four runs on four hits and two errors.

UPIKE, which scored seven of its eight runs on home runs, tried to rally back in the seventh with Thacker's three-run shot, but the 10-5 deficit was too much to overcome.

UPIKE 8. Cumberland 4

Pikeville was outhit 9-8 in game two, but home runs from Logan Cline and Kitty Raymond helped make up the difference to earn the split. Hannah Absher shined in the leadoff spot as well, going 2 for 3 with a double and three runs scored.

The Bears again were good in the first inning and again all of the runs came from one hit as Raymond put them up 3-0 with her home run. But just late the previous game, Cumberland was up for a comeback. It scored two runs on three hits in the second inning and added two more on four hits in the third.

This time around, however, the UPIKE pitchers were able to slow down the rally. Skaggs kept the bats quiet up until the seventh inning when Alexandra Quill came in to collect the final three outs.

With strong pitching keeping the Phoenix at bay, UPIKE tied things up at four run a piece with Cline's leadoff blast in the fourth before going on to pull away with two runs on two hits in the fifth and two runs on two hits in the seventh.

Raymond provided the go-ahead hit as her double in the fifth scored both Absher and Lee Grffin to make it 6-4.   

-UPIKE-