Pippa Passes, KY: The Alice Lloyd College Lady Eagles (13-25) returned home on April 19th for a doubleheader with the University of Pikeville Lady Bears (13-30). After two exciting matchups, the hosts would come away with a split for the series.
April 19
GAME ONE
UPike-2; Alice Lloyd-1
The Lady Bears held on to win in a great pitcher’s duel.
After a hitless first inning, UPike struck in the second. A walk and wild pitch advanced the runner to third base, A two-out single then drove in the score (1-0).
The Lady Eagles saw Alexis Morris (2B) opened up with a single in the third, but she was left stranded on base.
ALC pitcher Maleigh McDaniel limited the visitors to just one hit through five innings. In the bottom of that inning, the Caney Creek Club finally responded.
The action started when Abigail Stambaugh (RF) stroked a double to left-center field. Then, with 2 outs, Morris singled up the middle once more to tie the contest. Alice Lloyd would have runners on second and third base, but a groundball would end the inning (1-1.
In the sixth inning, two Lady Bear singles would break the deadlock (2-1). The hosts then saw Ellie Keene (C) single, but she would not advance.
In the final inning, UPike would knock a single, but they were then closed out.
Down to their final chance, ALC would drop the contest as they hit three consecutive groundouts.
At the plate, Morris led the way with her 2 hits and 1 RBI.
McDaniel pitched a great game and deserved a better fate. She allowed only 4 hits and 2 runs, with just 2 walks. She also stuck out 4 batters.
Both squads had 4 hits. ALC had 2 errors compared to Pikeville’s 1.
GAME TWO
UPike-9; Alice Lloyd-10
The Pippa Passes ladies won a walk-off extra-inning thriller and earned a split for the series.
After both clubs were quiet in the first inning, ALC got on the board in the second. In that at-bat, 2 walks and a wild pitch permitted Stambaugh to race across home plate (1-0).
The Lady Bears club would earn 4 big runs in the fourth. A two-run blast and a double provided the windfall (4-1) in a series that had been low scoring up to that point. Happily, the Lady Eagles quickly retaliated.
In the bottom of the fourth, a sacrifice fly, plus two singles, courtesy of McDaniel and Elle Hunt (PH,) gifted three more runs (4-4). However, the major damage was done when Baylee Compton laced a triple down the left-field line to give her club the lead once more (6-4).
In the sixth, ALC looked to gain even more separation, when singles from Mckenzie Brewer (P) and Lyndsey Adkins (1B), plus a Compton double, provided 2 additional runs (8-4).
Entering the seventh, the hosts just needed 3 outs to end the game. Unfortunately, Pikeville wasn’t ready to go home.
The visitors would come through with 4 singles. Combined with 2 crucial Lady Eagle errors, the game was suddenly knotted up at 8-8. Pikeville used that momentum to put the Caney girls down quickly, and forced extra innings.
After a scoreless eighth, the Lady Bears struck in the ninth. A one-out single broke the tie (9-8), and placed runners on second and third. Thankfully, the last two batters went down quietly on popups. The question now was, “Could ALC answer?”
Alice Lloyd showed their grit in the ninth when Morris bunted her way on base. Later, Stambaugh came up big when she singled in the tying run (9-9).
Keene went to the plate hoping to end the game, and lined into a fielder’s choice. Luckily, some shifty baserunning forced the Lady Bears shortstop to throw an errant toss, and Compton scampered across home to be mobbed by her jubilant teammates (10-9).
For ALC, Morris and Compton both had 2 hits while Compton provided 2 RBI’s.
Pitcher Baylee Cox started on the mound and was relieved by Haylee Howell, Brewer, and Kursten Napier. With some poetic justice, McDaniel tossed the final inning and was credited with the victory. Overall, the crew combined to give up 11 hits, 4 earned runs, 4 walks, and 4 strikeouts.
Both squads had 11 hits. ALC had 4 errors, compared to Pikeville’s 3.