Williamsburg, KY – In what felt like déjà vu from the first meeting last week, the UC softball team needed ten innings to win game one 2-1, before dropping game two to Pikeville 14-5 Wednesday afternoon at the UC Softball Complex. After the games the Patriots move to 14-26 overall and 7-13 in MSC play, while the Bears move to 23-15 overall and 7-9 in conference play.
Pikeville started the game with their first three batters reaching base to load the bases with no outs. Chandler Kelly followed with a sac fly to
Elisa Mauldin in center to give Pikeville a 1-0 lead.
Sidney Pennycuff recorded a pop out, before striking out Megan Claypoole to get out of the jam.
The score remained that way until the bottom of the third as
Hayley Kilburn was hit by the pitch the lead off the inning. She stole second and eventually scored on a
Morgan Santos sacrifice fly to left-center tying the game at 1-1. UC loaded the bases with two outs however
Emily Fox ground out to keep the score 1-1.
Pikeville put a runner on base in both the fourth and fifth innings but Pennycuff continued to hold them in check keeping the score even. In the bottom of the fifth,
Kailin Yantz and Santos both reached base with one out. Mauldin followed with a single to shallow left to load the bases for UC. The Patriots were unable to capitalize however as Hannah Skaggs got back-to-back fielder's choice to get out of the jam.
In the top of the sixth inning the Bears used two walks to get runners at first and second with one out.
Tara Comer came in relief and got Jordan Gentry to hit into a fielder's choice, before Kitty Raymound grounded out back to the pitcher to get out of the jam with the score still tied.
Neither team was able to do much over the next three innings as no base runner advanced further then second base. In the top of the ninth, Gentry lead off with a single and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. Comer than got Kitty Raymond to ground back to the circle where Comer got Gentry out at the plate on a 1-5-2 putout to keep the game tied.
Comer strong pitching continued in the tenth as she recorded a pop out and ground out with the go ahead run at third base.
Cumberlands struck in the bottom of the tenth as Santos started the inning on second base and advanced to third on a Mauldin sac bunt. Pikeville recorded the second out before Fox hit the game-winning RBI single thru the hole at short for the 2-1 final.
Comer pitched 4.2 innings of relief allowing one hit, while striking out two to get the win. Pennycuff went 5.1 innings scattering five hits and one run, while strikeout out four and walking five. Fox,
Hannah Stephenson, and
Madison Huber each notched a pair of hits in the game.
In game two, Pikeville took advantage of the Patriots miscues as the Bears plated three unearned runs on four errors in the second inning.
UC rallied in the bottom of the second with back-to-back one-out singles by Fox and
MiKayla Vires followed by a Kilburn walk to load the bases. Huber followed with an RBI groundout to cut the deficit to 3-1. Yantz followed with an RBI single to score Vires. After advancing to third, Kilburn stole home and scored as part of a double steal attempt to tie the game at 3-3.
The Bears plated five runs in the fourth and six runs in the fifth to take a 14-3 lead.
UC looked to rally in the bottom of the fifth as Santos led off the inning with a single. Mauldin doubled to deep right field, before Stephenson notched an RBI single to score Santos and cut the deficit to 14-4.
Tara Comer followed with a RBI single up the middle scoring Mauldin and giving the Patriots runners on first and second no outs. That the closest UC got however as Claypoole recorded three straight outs for the 14-5 final.
Yantz, Santos, and Comer each recorded two hits in the game.
The Patriots will return to the field Friday, April 20, when they travel to Lebanon, TN for a four-game set with Cumberland. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m., while Saturday is expected to start at 12 p.m.
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