Softball Continues Winning Ways, Sweeps Pikeville

PIKEVILLE, KY - The Columbia College softball team used more stellar pitching and clutch hitting en route to another road sweep of a conference foe from Kentucky. This time the Koalas defeated Pikeville 4-2 in game one and after a rain delay, went out and put away the Bears 6-2 in game two.

Columbia has now won 4 straight games and 6 of their first 8 conference games to improve to 11-9 overall and 6-2 in the AAC.

GAME 1: CC 4, UPIKE 2

Senior starter Addison Warner again shut down the Lady Bears holding them to just one earned run on 4 hits over 7 innings walking five but striking out three to improve to 5-4. 

Senior 1B Aliyah Crawley led the offense falling a triple shy of hitting for the cycle as she notched three hits including her first home run in the 7th inning to pad the Koala lead. Junior OF Ashlynn Wolff led off the game with a triple before coming around to score on Crawley's double. Crawley then later scored on a wild pitch to put CC up 2-0. Columbia increased their lead to 3-1 in the third inning on Ally Boyd's RBI double that brought home freshman 2B Maggie Hinz. UPike got a run back in the 4th on an error until Crawley's homer clinched the win in the 7th. Also recording two-hit games were junior SS Sophia Caley and Boyd while Hinz and OF Lana Hampson notched hits as well.

GAME 2: CC 6, UPIKE 2

A tight game two saw the Koalas get on the board early in the first inning as Hinz came around to score on a passed ball after reaching base via a walk. Boyd and Caley then followed with singles but were left stranded. Pikeville then tied it in the bottom of the first before the next four innings were scoreless. UPike then took the lead in the 6th inning scoring on a wild pitch from Boyd, the game two starter. 

The Bears (3-5, 0-2) thought they had the game in their hands until the Koala offense exploded for 5 runs in the top of the 7th sending all nine players to the plate as they rallied for the 6-2 win. Pinch-hitter Taylor Perry got the inning started with a leadoff single before Wolff sacrificed her to second. Hinz' single then out runners on the corners with one out. Crawley then stepped to the plate and promptly roped an RBI single to left to tie the game. Hinz then scored the go ahead run on a wild pitch before Boyd's RBI single made it 4-2. Caley then reached via error and advanced to 2nd on a passed ball before freshman RF Madison Cheek's two-run double made it 6-2.

Boyd then shut down the Bears in the bottom half for the win improving to 6-3. She threw all 7 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits with a walk and a strikeout. Cheek, Boyd, and Hinz all led the team with two hits apiece while Cheek knocked two doubles. Columbia outhit Pikeville 10-5 in game two and 10-4 in game one totaling 20 hits on the day.

The Koalas will next return home this Saturday to host Truett McConnell University in a 1pm doubleheader from Columbia.