DUNBAR, W. Va. – UPIKE baseball's weekend got off to a sour start, but had a resounding turnaround in the day's second game.

Game 1 – Loss to Concordia, 5-3

Starter Peyton Dove put together another solid start, but couldn't find the backup with the bats against perennial WHAC contenter Concordia, resulting in a 5-3 loss.

Dove threw 4.2 innings of four hit ball, surrendering just three runs in the process.

Concordia got a hold of Dove early, scoring in the first inning, but the senior hurler settled in after that with three straight scoreless innings.

UPIKE scored its first run in the fourth on an RBI groundout from Roy'ce Brittentime which was an old-fashioned manufactured run. The inning began with a hit batter, then a stolen base and wild pitch primed Brittentime to tie the game.

The Cardinals then regained the lead in the next inning with a two-out rally. A bunt single, RBI triple, and RBI double gave Concordia a 3-1 lead. That lead grew to 4-1 in the sixth with a solo home run.

Pikeville drew back within one in the bottom of the frame with a two-out rally of their own. Another hit batter, a walk, and a bunt single loaded the bases, then a RBI single from Tyler Menrath and an error scored two of the runs.

Concordia added an insurance run in the seventh and the Bears couldn't generate a tying run in the bottom of the inning as the Cardinals closed out the win.

Game 2 – Defeated Goshen, 6-0

The day's second game provided the Bears' top performance of the year so far as senior Brady Cappe shut down Goshen entirely, en route to a 6-0 win.

Cappe pitched a complete game shutout, allowing only two hits and one walk, while striking out a career high 11 strikeouts in the lights out performance. Only one runner reached scoring position in the entire game for the Maple Leafs.

UPIKE got the lead early on an RBI groundout from Kase Mattingly to score Menrath. Menrath's hit and a single by Eduardo Bello in the first would be nearly all of UPIKE's offense until a late explosion in the sixth.

Menrath got the Bears started again, but a Maple Leafs error allowed him to reach and advance to second. One pitch later, Noah Helton brought him in with a single up the middle. After a stolen base and hit by pitch, Bello then got his own RBI single to push the lead to 3-0.

Pastor Sanchez followed with a squeeze bunt single to bring in another run, then a double to the gap in right-center by Ronaldo Tijero finished off the rally as the Bears batted around in the inning.

Those six runs would still be five more than Cappe needed as he retired the side in order in the seventh to close out the game.

The shutout is Cappe's first of his career and his second complete game, the other being when he shut down West Virginia Tech last year.

UP NEXT                                                                                        

UPIKE faces these same two teams again tomorrow at Shawnee Sports Complex. The Bears face Concordia at 11:30 a.m. and Goshen at 4 p.m.

-UPIKE-