McKenzie, TN – The Bears notched their first conference win of the 2021 campaign over the weekend, but fell 2-1 in a series with Bethel. UPIKE sits at 4-6 on the season after a weekend that featured several firsts for the young squad.

The Bears recorded 21 hits on the series with a three-game team batting average of .226 in 25 innings against the Wildcats. Jairemy Pulido paced the Bears at the plate, swinging for six hits including two RBIs and his first home run of the season. The junior hit a solid .500 on the series, manning third base. Sophomore infielder Demarco Miller had a breakout series, smacking a pair of homers, three RBIs and scoring three runs.

A plethora of Bears saw time on the bump in McKenzie, including newcomer Collin Fenili who earned his first win of the season in game one. The transfer from Spoon River went 7.2 innings in game one, striking out 10 and allowing just three earned runs. In the same game, Braxton Ratliff picked up his first save as a Bear, sealing Friday's win with two outs in the final inning.

Game 1 | W, 6-5 | Box Score

Game one saw both teams hang a pair of runs in the first inning, with UPIKE's coming byway of a two-run homer from Jairemy Pulido that scored Jared Kirkman who singled to open the inning. Fenili held the Wildcats in the second but the Bears stalled offensively, not recording a hit in the frame.

Bethel took a one run lead in the third after opening the inning with a double down the right field line. UPIKE tied the game in the seventh after Mikey Swails singled, bringing in Roy'ce Brittentime as a pinch runner. Brittentime would score on a ground out by Kirkman.

The eighth inning was the most productive for the Bears, tallying three hits and a pair of runs. The frame opened with a single from Eduardo Bello, whose pinch runner Ryan Albers scored on an error. Noah Helton would cross for the second run on a sacrifice fly from Tyler Freas, the Bears led 6-4 at the end of the inning.

The Bears found themselves in a jam with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth and called on Ratliff to take the mound. Ratliff got the last two outs, only allowing one run to score on a sacrifice fly as the Bears sealed the win.

Game 2 | L, 7-4 | Box Score

The Bears were plagued by errors in the second game of the series, outhitting the Wildcats but allowing a pair of unearned runs. Cernohous got the start, going two and a third innings allowing four runs on three hits. Kevin Justice got his first look of the season, walking his first batter before forcing a pop-out to close the third inning. Ty Crall and Jorden Davy both saw an inning of action, each allowing one hit and no runs.

After Bethel hung three runs in the first frame, the Bears answered with two hits and three runs to tie the game in the top of the second. UPIKE's runs came by way of Demarco Miller who crushed a homerun with no outs, scoring Tyler Maynard who hit an RBI single in the previous at-bat.

Mikey Swails hit an RBI single in the fourth that scored Miller who had doubled to left-center earlier in the inning. Bethel managed a single run in the fourth to maintain a one-run lead before putting two across in the sixth, winning 7-4.

Game 3 | L, 8-3 | Box Score

The final game of the series was a solid offensive outing for Bethel who managed 11 hits, holding the Bears to six. Nolan Fernandes picked up the loss, starting for the Bears and offering five innings. Jairemy Pulido went a pair of innings, allowing a trio of hits and two runs before Braxton Ratliff hurled the final inning, not allowing a hit.

Pulido also connected at the plate for a pair of hits and a run scored, finishing as the only Bear with multiple hits in the game. Tyler Freas was the other run scored, he also managed an RBI single earlier in the seventh that score Pulido and Brittentime who was pinch running for Swails.

UPIKE baseball returns to the diamond on Wednesday, March 3^rd, stepping out of MSC play for a double-header with Bluefield College at home.