UPIKE Athletics

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – The fifth-seeded University of Pikeville opened play in the 2026 AAC softball tournament with an 9-1 loss to No. 4 Bryan (Tenn.) College on Monday afternoon at Brickyard Ball Fields.
 
The Lions took advantage of three errors and three walks to go with 10 hits to advance to Wednesday's winner's bracket.
 
The Bears, who fell to 27-14 on the season, will play on Tuesday morning, facing 10^th-seeded Columbia (S.C.) College. The Koalas fell to No. 7 Milligan (Tenn.) by a final of 9-1 on Monday.
 
UPike wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as catcher Dani Crum led off the game with a single to center. She stole second and scored when second baseman Kaden Dunlap singled to center to make it 1-0.
 
Unfortunately for the Bears, those would be the only two hits of the day.
 
The Lions rallied in the bottom half to tie it, and did so after starting the inning with consecutive outs. Ava Soul drew a walk and moved into scoring position when Lily Taylor was hit by a pitch. Soul came in to score when Kaycee Baldwin singled to left.
 
Bryan (27-22) took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the second, and again, it started with two outs and nobody on. Maddie Lee opened up the action with a single and came around to score on an errant throw on a bunt attempt by Juliana Santillanes that moved her to third.
 
Lakyn Lockhart doubled to left field to deliver Santillanes to put the Lions on top 3-1.
 
The Lions stretched it out with a five-run fourth inning, a frame in which they needed only three hits thanks to a couple of errors and a pair of walks. The big hit was a two-run double by Taylor, and she scored when Baldwin singled to make it 8-1.
 
The game-winning run came home when Ava Saul, the conference freshman of the year, singled to deliver Santillanes in the bottom of the fifth inning.
 
Chloe Bryant (8-4) pitched the first three innings, striking out four. Three of the five runs she allowed were unearned. Brianna Johnsen pitched the final 1-2/3 innings.