LEBANON, Tenn. -- UPIKE softball got a punch to the gut early and didn't find enough time to recover in the second game to drop both ends of Friday's doubleheader and split the season series with Cumberland (Tenn.)
Game 1
A day after Megan Claypoole was lights out against the Phoenix, Cumberland figured out the sophomore pitcher and roughed her up for nine hits and 10 runs in a run-rule 10-0 victory.
Despite giving up the 10 runs, due to some unfortunate errors behind her, only two of the runs were earned against Claypoole.
In the other dugout, Kayley Caplinger, who held UPIKE to five hits yesterday limited the Bears to just three on Friday and only faced real trouble twice when the Bears got runners in scoring position with two outs.
All of Cumberland's scoring came in the first three innings, building on its scoring output in each inning.
The first and only run of the first inning was fairly routine after a leadoff single and double got CU on the board.
Claypoole nearly got out of trouble in the second, but an error on a grounder canceled what could've been the third out, and three runs scored after that.
Cumberland then rallied for six runs in the third inning to chase Claypoole from the game and set the game into run-rule territory.
Game 2
The Bears were not entirely shaken by their prior defeat and fought valiantly late, but still fell in a 8-6 loss.
UPIKE scored in each of the first two innings, but still fell behind the Phoenix after two, 3-2.
After a scoreless third, Cumberland rallied for four unanswered runs to build a 7-2 lead. Like Claypoole, Hannah Skaggs couldn't carry over her magic from her shutout yesterday, giving up 10 hits and those eight runs.
However, thanks in part to a CU error, UPIKE got its own rally started in the sixth.
Claypoole got the inning started with a single, then after a fielder's choice, Haley Karr hit a pinch-hit double to score Hannah Absher. After the error, Karr scored on another fielder's choice by MacKenzie Pawlak which cut the lead to 7-4.
Cumberland executed a double steal in the bottom of the sixth for an insurance run before UPIKE mounted another rally.
Emme Barker and Elizabeth Hickey got the inning started with back-to-back singles and scored after a passed ball and a double from Claypoole. The Bears actually outhit the Phoenix in the second game, 12-10.
After the double, the tying run was at the plate with one out, but UPIKE couldn't scratch any more runs.
UP NEXT
UPIKE will have back-to-back midweek doubleheaders next week, hosting both Bluefield on Tuesday and Cumberlands (Ky.) on Wednesday.
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