Pikeville, KY – UPIKE's baseball program made its 2021 home debut over the weekend, lacing up for a three-game conference battle with Lindsey Wilson. The Bears went 1-2 in the series, defeating the Blue Raiders in game three on Saturday 7-6.
Tyler Freas led the Bears offensively, tallying five hits and five RBIs over the course of the series. The freshman swung for two triples, one in both games two and three and added a pair of stolen bases. Freas went .444 at the plate in three games and added several key defensive plays including an athletic diving grab in the eighth inning of game one.
Jared Kirkman pieced together a solid series as well, recording four hits and a run scored. The junior transfer now has three multi-hit games on the year after connecting for a pair of singles in game one.
Ryan Ratliff was the winning pitcher in game three, relieving
Jairemy Pulido who gave the Bears a solid four innings allowing one unearned run, two hits while striking out three. Ratliff went one and two-thirds allowing four runs and four hits.
Braxton Ratliff (no relation) earned the save, inheriting a bases loaded situation with two outs in the top of the seventh, forcing a strikeout to secure the win for UPIKE.
Game 1 | L, 12-5 | Box Score
The first game of the series saw both teams score a pair of runs in the first frame, UPIKE's coming by way of
Noah Helton and
Jared Kirkman who singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Freas.
Demarco Miller sent a shot to deep right-center in the second inning, putting
Cam Marushi on third, Marushi would score on the next at-bat on a sac fly from Helton.
The Bears held the lead until the fifth when Lindsey hung three runs on three hits to take a 5-3 lead. UPIKE added runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth but Lindsey's seven-run effort in the seventh pushed them out of reach as the Bears fell 12-5.
Fenili picked up the loss in the opening matchup after going 4.2 innings allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits. Fenili struck out five in the stretch and was relieved by
Braxton Ratliff in the fifth. The Bears put several on the mound following the fifth but couldn't find the rythym.
Game 2 | L, 5-2 | Box Score
UPIKE dropped game two 5-2 in a performance that included five hits and three errors for the squad. Offensively, the Bears had five players with a single hit, including
Anthony Houk who added a run scored. Bomer was responsible for the second run of the game, result of a triple from
Tyler Freas in the bottom of the sixth.
Nolan Fernandes gave the Bears a great outing, hurling seven innings complete with seven strikeouts. The transfer from Muskingum gave up a single run and walked just two.
Ethan Cernohous picked up the loss after relieving in the eighth, he went two innings allowing four runs (two earned) and three hits.
Game 3 | W, 7-6 | Box Score
UPIKE notched their second win of the season and first win against Lindsey since exactly a year ago today in a game three that saw the Bears manage their highest hit total in a conference game this season with 10. The Bears recorded just a single error in the win.
Game three's hero was center-fielder
Tyler Freas who went 3-3 with a triple and three RBIs.
Noah Helton also clubbed a pair of hits, including his first home run of the season in the bottom of the first.
After Helton's homer in the first, UPIKE hung a pair of runs in the second and third innings. Two runs came via an RBI double from Marushi that scored Freas and Maynard in the second while freas struck again with a two-RBI triple in the third that scored Bello and Bomer. Freas third RBI of the game came in the bottom of the fifth, crossing Helton who reached base on a single earlier in the inning. Kirkman's RBI single in the sixth frame had the Bears sitting pretty with a 7-5 lead heading into the final inning.
Ratliff's arm came in and threw for the final out as UPIKE escaped with the 7-6 victory.
The Bears will return to action on Wednesday, March 9th at home against Midway. The game will begin at 1PM and will be streamed live via the UPIKE Sports Network.
