UPIKE Athletics

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – The 2026 baseball season came to an end on Thursday afternoon at the University of Pikeville after a 10-1 loss to Johnson (Tenn.) University in the AAC tournament at Hunter Wright Stadium.
 
UPike, the fifth seed in the tournament, finished with a record of 29-19.
 
Johnson, the top seed, improved to 37-11 and advanced to play on Friday afternoon.
 
The Bears came out aggressive at the plate, and with two outs, senior left fielder Noah Brooks sent the fourth pitch of the game to the wall in right field for a triple. He scored when senior catcher Garren Gledhill singled to make it 1-0.
 
UPike had an opportunity to expand the lead but left two runners stranded. The Bears had a run on three hits and saw only nine pitches from Royals' starter Colby Reynolds.
 
 The Royals tied the game in the fourth and took the lead with three in the fifth. A six-run seventh inning put the game away.
 
UPike had eight hits, three of them by Gledhill. He had a double as well.
 
Second baseman Easton Mould had two hits as well. In addition to Brooks' triple, third baseman Mason Melton and senior right fielder Cole Fowler had hits.
 
Senior Shaye McTavish (2-6) pitched 4-1/3 innings and got the decision. He was followed on the hill by senior Isaac Berry, senior Richtter Castillo, Cole Carmichael and senior Dawson Schultz.