LEBANON, Tenn. -- UPIKE softball's two starting pitchers made their presence felt on Thursday with a pair of shutouts to open the Bears' Mid-South Conference series with Cumberland (Tenn.)
Game 1
Megan Claypoole took to the circle for the day's first shutout, a 5-0 Bears win. The shutout is Claypoole's fifth of the season, and broke a skid of six straight losing decisions.
Claypoole held the Phoenix to six hits in the game and didn't walk a single batter, her first outing without a walk in three weeks.
UPIKE's offense also struggled against Phoenix starter Morgan Arndt with just five hits, but the Bears let the Phoenix beat themselves with mistakes.
Pikeville's first two runs in the fourth without a hit. The inning got started with Haley Osborne reaching on an error, then she beat out the throw on a fielder's choice that let Kelsey White to reach as well. After a sacrifice bunt, Osborne and White both scored on a wild pitch and groundout by Elizabeth Hickey to give the Bears a 2-0 lead.
Hannah Absher scored the game's third run one inning later after reaching on a walk to open the inning. Jordan Gentry brought Absher around to score with an RBI double to right.
Absher then got some RBIs for herself with a two-RBI single in the sixth. She was the only batter to record multiple hits in the game.
Game 2
Hannah Skaggs followed Claypoole's shutout with one of her own in the latter game of the doubleheader, a 2-0 win for the Bears.
Skaggs' shutout effort was a case of bend, but don't break as she gave up nine hits, but always found the clutch out to keep the Phoenix off the scoreboard.
Cumberland had a runner in scoring position in each of the first six innings, but went 1-for-9 in those situations.
UPIKE once again only had five hits, but made them count. Two of those came in the first, the second of which came from MacKenzie Pawlak who stole home for the game's first run.
Two more of those hits came in the second inning with back-to-back leadoff singles from Emme Barker and Hickey. After a wild pitch, UPIKE had runners at first and second with no outs. Absher got her third RBI of the day on a groundout to get the lead to 2-0.
The only inning Skaggs didn't allow a base runner was the most important one, the final seventh inning, which allowed UPIKE to close out the game.
UP NEXT
UPIKE will try to get a sweep in before the rain with tomorrow's doubleheader scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. EST.
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