PIKEVILLE, Ky. – UPIKE softball got spring break started in grand fashion, sweeping a doubleheader against Rochester and Alice Lloyd on Saturday.

UPIKE defeats Rochester 4-1

UPIKE's first win of the day was a much needed one where the bats came alive as the Bears tallied 14 hits in a 4-1 win against Rochester.

The Bears recorded at least one hit in each inning and multiple hits in four of the six innings.

Pikeville got on the board in the second inning on an RBI single from Brynna Souels that scored Zoe Ingram.

Rochester scored their only run of the game in the top of the third with an unearned run scoring that reached on an error.

That unearned run was nearly the only blemish on Megan Claypoole's start in the circle, as she pitched a complete game, five hit effort as well as eight strikeouts.

UPIKE took the lead back in the bottom of the third on an RBI single from Ingram. Ingram was one of two Pikeville batters with three hits in the game.

The other was Mackenzie Pawlak, who was also the only Bear with multiple RBIs, both of which came on a bases clearing double in the sixth.

UPIKE defeats Alice Lloyd 8-4

While the total number of hits was lower in the second game, UPIKE brought more runs around to score in a 8-4 win against Alice Lloyd.

After two scoreless innings, UPIKE scored runs in four consecutive innings.

Macy Jones led the Bears, going 2-3 from the plate with three RBIs and a walk. She also pitched two thirds of an inning in relief and picked up her first pitching strikeout.

Mackenzie Pawlak was the pther Bear with multiple hits and had three hits and an RBI herself.

UPIKE took advantage of a pair of Eagle errors and strung together three hits to take the lead with three runs in the inning. Haley Osborne, Ingram, and Claypoole all had RBI hits in the inning.

That sparked a rally of UPIKE scoring six unanswered runs. Alice Lloyd finally got on the board with a run in the sixth, but Pikeville extended its lead even further with two in the bottom of the inning.

Alice Lloyd made a comeback attempt in the seventh that chased starter Hannah Skaggs from the game, but James shut the door on that.

Skaggs still had a solid game, going 6.1 innings, giving up two earned runs and striking out four.

UP NEXT                                                                                        

UPIKE begins a week long trip to Myrtle Beach on Monday with eight games in five days.

-UPIKE-