PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- UPIKE softball simply struggled to get runs on the board Tuesday, which amounted to its demise as the Bears lost both ends of its home opening doubleheader to Milligan.
Game 1
The first game was an all-around defensive struggle for the Bears, eventually resulting in a 3-1 loss.
Buffaloes starter Erin Forgety carried a no-hitter through four and only allowed three UPIKE hits in the game. UPIKE starter Megan Claypoole would join her in the dominant outing, it just took her an inning to get there.
Claypoole surrendered two walks to the first three batters and with a single and a wild pitch, both runs came around to score. After the first, however, she only surrendered five hits for the rest of the game.
Despite only having three hits, UPIKE manufactured opportunities to score but left five runners on base. The Bears' lone run came in the fifth when an error on an attempted double play allowed Mercedes Boggs to score from third after reaching earlier on a double.
Game 2
The bats were working better in the second game of the day, just not in the clutch as Milligan shut out the Bears, 2-0.
UPIKE had runners on first and second in the bottom of the second a sacrifice bunt advanced back-to-back singles from Jordan Gentry and MacKenzie Pawlak, but a strikeout and groundout ended the threat.
In the second game of the day, UPIKE junior Hannah Skaggs was dealing. She allowed just three hits and only one earned run while striking out five.
Milligan got its first run of the game in the third on a RBI double from Savannah Nocera. Two of the Buffs' three hits came in the third inning.
UPIKE had a nearly identical situation as the first inning again in the fourth inning as two Bears were in scoring position with only one out, but once again the key hit went unfound.
Milligan added an insurance run in the fifth after a run scored on an error. it looked like UPIKE finally would break through in the sixth after Haley Osborne reached and advanced to second on an error, then advanced to third on a passed ball, all with no outs. But the ball failed to leave the infield until the final out, stranding Osborne on the bases.
Once again, UPIKE had two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but the game ended after Socera caught a hard-hit grounder from Pawlak for a 5-3 double play.
UP NEXT
UPIKE will have two chances to rebound on Saturday with a doubleheader against Miami-Hamilton at noon, weather permitting.
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