PIKEVILLE – The 2024 regular season wrapped up for the University of Pikeville softball team on Monday afternoon, as it lost both games of a doubleheader to Tennessee Wesleyan.
 
The Bears wrapped up the season 17-20 with a 13-15 record against AAC competition. They will await the completion of the season to find out if they qualify for the postseason.
 
Bulldogs 1, Bears 0: The game was scoreless until the top of the fifth when designated player Hallie DeArmon hit a solo home run over the fence in left-center.
 
Meanwhile, the Bears were without a hit until pinch-hitter Sam Case led off with a clean single to right. However, she was left stranded as the game ended.
 
Bailee Phillips went the distance on only 70 pitches, allowing only the single hit while recording 10 strikeouts and no walks.
 
For the Bears, Chloe Bryant was the tough-luck pitcher of record, going all 7 innings and allowing only five hits, striking out five and allowing the only run of the game.
 
Bulldogs 5, Bears 3: Scoring started in the second game the same way it did in the opener, only this time it was pitcher Emily Higgins who went deep, over the scoreboard in straightaway center.
 
The Bears responded in the third, when first baseman Haleigh Jones was hit by a pitch with two outs. That was followed by a home run off the bat of designated player Jasmine Kaylor. It was her second dinger of the season and put the Bears on top 2-1.
 
The lead was short-lived. Italia Kyle led off with a single and scored from first when Emily Higgins singled to right to tie the score at 2-2.
 
In the seventh, Kelly Schweitzer led off with a double and, with two outs, scored on an error off the bat of Macy Chastain.
 
But in the bottom half, UPike responded with a two-out rally of its own. It began when pinch-hitter Zoey Keeton singled up the middle. Sam Case reached on a throwing error and when pinch-hitter Maddie Horn singled off the pitcher, pinch-runner Addison Johnson scored to send the game to extra innings.
 
In the top of the eighth, however, Avery Hope ripped a two-run home run to left center field. Higgins, who had singled, scored ahead of her.
 
Isabella Jenkins pitched the last two innings to get the win for the Bulldogs.
 
CJ Alincic went the distance for the Bears, striking out 12 in the loss.