Pippa Passes, KY – The University of Pikeville softball team picked up a win in game one against the Alice Lloyd College Eagles 2-1, before dropping the nightcap 10-9 in nine innings on Tuesday night.
Katelyn Byrd led the Bears offensive attack, with three hits and three RBI. Freshman
Madison Mullins hit her first career homer as a Bear in game two, finishing the game with two RBI and two runs scored.
Game One
After working out of a jam in the bottom of the first, UPIKE grabbed the early lead in the top of the second inning.
Kendall Hillard was hit by a pitch, sacrificed over to second base and advanced to third on a passed ball. With two outs, Byrd sent a single up the middle to give the Bears a 1-0 lead.
The Eagles would tie the game after a one-out double and sacrifice bunt put a runner at third with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Alexis Morris than sent a game-tying single into center field to make it 1-1.
UPIKE would retake the lead in the top of the sixth after
Sophie Kluesner singled and hustled to reach third base on a sacrifice bunt. With two outs,
Kendall Hillard sent a ball just over the third basemen's head into left, scoring the go-ahead run and making it 2-1.
Mattea Ware would shut the door on Alice Lloyd over the final two innings and give the Bears a 2-1 win. The senior threw a complete game, with four strikeouts and only allowed four hits.
Game Two
After falling behind 1-0 early on, UPIKE scored four runs in the top of the fourth to take a 4-1 lead. The scoring started with the aforementioned Mullins homer to make it 2-1. A Byrd double brought in another run with just one out. One more run came in on an error later in the frame.
The Eagles would take advantage of a Bears miscue, and score five runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it 6-4, before growing the lead to 8-4 in the bottom of the sixth.
With their backs against the wall, UPIKE delivered in the seventh. A
Megan Nethercutt single into right field got the scoring started with just one out and made it 8-5. An error allowed UPIKE to load the bases with one out. The Bears would score on a fielder's choice before another Eagles error and a
Sophie Kluesner single through the left side brought in the final two runs to tie the game at 8-8.
UPIKE would hold Alice Lloyd off the board in the bottom of the seventh and send the game into extras. Neither team scored in the eighth before the Bears plated a run in the ninth. After Mullins was placed at second base, she would steal third and come home on an Eagles error to make it 9-8. In the bottom of the inning, the Eagles would score a pair of runs to win the game and split the doubleheader.
What's Up Next
The Bears end the regular season this weekend at Thomas More University in a four-game series. They play two on Friday beginning at 2:00 p.m. Last season, they won one game against the Saints.
