PIKEVILLE, Ky. - On Friday afternoon, CIU baseball opened another Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) series at the University of Pikeville (Ky.), battling through a back-and-forth contest that stretched into extra innings before falling in 12. With the loss, the Rams move to 9-9 in AAC play.

Game One: Pikeville 9, CIU 7 (12 inn.): Pikeville struck first with single runs in the first and second innings, and added another in the fifth to take a 3-0 lead. The Rams broke through in the sixth as Aiden Pomnitz launched a two-run home run to cut the deficit to one, then tied the game in the eighth behind another RBI from Pomnitz and a run from Kai Smith. The Bears evened the score again in the ninth to force extras, and both teams went scoreless until the 12th. CIU pushed across three runs in the top half, highlighted by RBI contributions from Smith and Eli Musgraves, but Pikeville answered with a five-run bottom of the inning to secure the 9-7 win.

Pomnitz led the Rams with three hits, including a home run and two RBIs, while Daniel Sidoti added two hits. Smith drove in a run and reached base four times, and CIU totaled nine hits while drawing 10 walks. On the mound, Campbell Denton went 6.2 innings, allowing three runs, while Collin Otte struck out eight in relief but took the loss.

Up Next: CIU closes the series against the University of Pikeville (Ky.) tomorrow, March 28, with a doubleheader starting at 12 P.M. EST.