PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- UPIKE baseball experienced two vastly different games to lose out its home schedule on Wednesday, splitting a doubleheader against Montreat.
Game 1
Pitching purists would not have had fun in the day's first game, which turned into a three-hour long 16-13 seven-inning win for the Bears.
The two teams combined to use nine pitchers in the game, while UPIKE's starter had to be taken out in the first inning after a comeback liner forced him to leave the game in part of a six-run first inning for Montreat.
But UPIKE began its own offensive rally in its half of the first inning. Pikeville scored in every inning it batted in and scored multiple runs in five of the six innings.
Tyler Menrath and Jay Vincent both hit two-run home runs in the first inning to cut the Cavalier lead to 6-4. Montreat then scored another run in the second inning but a two-out rally by the Bears in the second tied the game at 7-7.
Luke Lubiniecki and Jay Vincent hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the inning. UPIKE's one through four hitters (Jacob Alvarado, Menrath, Lubiniecki, Vincent) combined to go 7-12 with 12 RBIs in the game, while Dillon O'Grady went 4-4 with two RBIs out of the six hole.
UPIKE got its first lead in the third inning with yet another four run inning complete with five hits. The Bears would not surrender the lead for the rest of the game, although Montreat would mount a minor comeback effort.
The Cavaliers scored six times in the fifth through seventh innings and got the lead as low as three runs in the final inning. But, UPIKE brought in Aaron Hedgecock to close out the game and earn his fourth save of the season.
Game 2
The second game of the day was a much more efficient effort by both pitching staffs, but Montreat pulled away late with some unearned runs to take the 7-2 win.
Both teams got on the board in the second. UPIKE starter Peyton Dove nearly got out of trouble after a 6-4-3 double play, but Evan Dolan came through with a two-out RBI single. Luke Hartlage brought in UPIKE's run with an RBI groundout to score O'Grady, who reached on his fifth hit of the day.
Montreat broke the game open a bit in the third with a three-run inning on just two hits. Those two hits came early though as a leadoff single and walk both scored on a triple by the next batter to give the Cavaliers a 3-1 lead. The triple later scored after a stolen base throw down went awry.
That 4-1 score lasted until the fourth when the Bears had their best chance at a rally. Rodny Rodriquez led off the inning with a double and scored on a Hartlage single. Kase Mattingly then singled to get the go-ahead runner to the plate. The Bears tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt but got under it and doubled off the runner from second.
UPIKE was in it until the seventh when Montreat scored three unearned runs to fully deflate the sails of the Bears.
UP NEXT
The Bears close out the regular season this weekend at Shawnee State. UPIKE needs just one win out of three in the weekend series to clinch a trip to next weekend's MSC Championship.
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