PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- A midweek sweep of Johnson (Tenn.) on Wednesday gives the University of Pikeville baseball team a 7-1 record in its last eight games as Mid-South Conference play looms right around the corner. The Bears tallied winning scored of 8-6 and 17-13 against the Royals at Johnnie LeMaster Field.

With the wins, the Bears improve to 13-8 on the season, while Johnson drops to 3-12.

UPIKE 8, Johnson 6

Johnson took a 6-5 lead in the fifth inning, forcing the Bears to go to work over the last two innings to pull off the comeback.

It only took one of the next two innings for them to pull it off as they scored three runs on three hits in the bottom of the sixth to grab the win. With two outs on the board, UPIKE struck first with a single down the right field line by Alec Barba to score the tying run, followed by Matt Peterson roping a go-ahead double to center.

Some insurance came from a wild pitch that allowed Nelson Muniz to hustle home from third. Johnson loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, but Brandon Sewell was able to get a fielder's choice out at third to end it.

Sewell earned the win in relief of starter Peyton Dove as he allowed just two earned runs while striking out five in 2 1/3 innings. Johnson starter Griffin Tate took the loss as he scattered 12 hits for eight runs without a strikeout in over five innings.

Before the back-and-forth ending, the Bears had once enjoyed a 4-0 lead after the first inning. They strung together six hits to take the early lead, including a two-RBI single by Lucas Bault. The Royals got two of the runs back in the second, but Muniz kept the UPIKE offense active with a sac fly in the second inning as well.

It was 5-2 heading into the fourth inning when Johnson scored four runs over the next two innings to take its only lead of the day.

Both teams tallied 13 hits as Barba paced UPIKE going 3-for-3 with two runs scored, an RBI and a walk. Peterson, Jacob Alverado and Luke Hartlage all hit doubles in the win.

UPIKE 17, Johnson 13

UPIKE built a 10-0 lead in the first inning before surviving a push by Johnson, including coughing up seven runs in the third, to hold on for the high-scoring 17-13 win.

There was plenty of action on the base paths as UPIKE collected 14 hits and Johnson had 13.

In the first inning, Peterson got the scoring started when he tripled on a 3-2 count, scoring three runs.

The Bears didn't pull away for good until tallying three runs in the fourth inning as Travis Haen drove in one and Daniel Sterenberg hit a two-run single. Prior to those hits, it was an 11-11 tie game as the Royals scored two runs in the second and fourth innings, which were sandwiched around a 7-run third.

UPIKE was led at the plate by Alverado, Jay Vincent, Daniel Sterenberg and Luke Lubiniecki who each collected multiple hits. Alverado fared the best, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, an RBI and a walk.

Chase Robinson earned the win on the mound as he took over the tie game and allowed just one earned run on one hit with four strikeouts in the next 2 1/3 innings. Reliever Clay Turpin took the loss after giving up four runs on five hits in 2 2/3.

UP NEXT

UPIKE won't play again until 1 p.m. ET on Monday when it travels to Circleville, Ohio to face Ohio Christian in a doubleheader.

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