KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Senior Riley Paulino had four hits, drove in four and scored twice to help extend his career with a 14-7 win over Truett McConnell (Ga.) University on Wednesday in the AAC tournament.
 
Paulino was in the middle of the top third of the Bears lineup that had eight hits, nine RBIs and scored four times.
 
UPike (29-18) will now await the team that doesn't win the eighth game of the tournament between top-seeded Johnson and No. 8 Montreat. That game was played after the Bears' win.
 
That game will be played Thursday at 3 p.m. at Hunter Wright Stadium.
 
The Bears found themselves down 5-0 heading to the bottom of the third when they rallied to get back in the game. It started with a leadoff walk drawn by Frances Subero.
 
Cole Fowler followed with an infield single, and Sam Brown laid down a perfect bunt to move both runners up and Easton Mould was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
 
Riley Paulino delivered a hit between first and second to score Subero and Fowler for the first runs of the game for the Bears. Noah Brooks then singled in Mould to cut the deficit to 5-3.
 
A wild pitch moved Paulino to third, and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Mason Melton to pull the Bears within a run at 5-4.
 
But the joy was short-lived, as David Walters hit the first pitch of the fourth inning for a home run to left to make it 6-4.
 
The bottom of the frame would be another good one for the Bears, as they rallied to tie the game. It started with a single and stolen base by Subero. Fowler was then hit by a pitch and Brown again moved the runners along with a sacrifice.
 
Mould delivered Subero with an infield single, and Brooks hit a sacrifice fly to score Fowler to tie the game at 6-6.
 
After holding Truett scoreless in the fifth, the UPike offense kept it going with three in the bottom half to take the lead. The inning started with a single by Melton, who moved up on a wild pitch before Joe Gagnon was hit by a pitch. Subero loaded the bases when he reached on an error.
 
Melton put the Bears ahead when he scored on a sacrifice fly by Fowler. Gagnon scored when Brown grounded out, and a single by Mould delivered Subero to put UPike on top 9-6.
 
The Bears tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh, and all the action started with two outs and none on. It started with a single to left by Paulino. Brooks drove a double to the wall in left-center to score Paulino from first.
 
Brooks stole third and scored on a single by Gledhill to make it 11-6.
 
After Truett McConnell scored a run in the eighth, UPike posted three more in the bottom half.
 
Gagnon doubled to left and scored on a single by Brown. Mould was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and a Paulino single scored Gagnon and Connor Moody, who ran for Brown.