THIBODAUX, La. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears pounded out 17 hits to take an 8-6 victory over the Nicholls State Colonels in Southland Conference baseball action on Friday night at Didier Field.
UCA (17-17, 7-9) recorded double-digit hits for the third consecutive game and won for the fourth time in its last five games. The Bears moved one game ahead of the Colonels (16-18, 6-10) and won their first Friday night Southland Conference game of the season.
The Bears went ahead early with three runs in the first inning off Nicholls starter Seth Webster. Ethan Harris led off with a single up the middle and Jonathan Davis was hit by a pitch. Jonathan Houston followed with a bunt single to load the bases before Jake Fuller drove in Harris with a base hit to left field.
Greg Noble then hit a two-run single to the gap in right center to make it 3-0. Nicholls got two back in the bottom of the inning, then took a 4-2 lead with two more runs in the second. UCA answered in the fourth with a pair of runs on Houston’s two-run double to left center.
The Colonels responded with two more runs in the bottom of the inning for a 6-5 lead but UCA re-took the lead with two runs in the sixth. Harris had a lead-off triple and Davis singled to score him. Houston walked off reliever Dalton Torres. A sacrifice bunt by Bryan Willson moved the runners to second and third and Jake Fuller’s groundout brought in Davis for a 7-6 lead.
After the Bears left the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning, UCA senior reliever Evan Cox got out of a jam in the bottom of the inning with a double play and a pop up to second base. He also set the Colonels down in order in the eighth, including a pair of strikeouts.
Dickson got the Bears’ eighth run, scoring on a bunt single by Harris in the top of the ninth. Cox worked around two singles in the ninth and earned his second save in the past two games by striking out Dustin Wambsgan to end the game.
The top three in UCA’s lineup, Harris, Davis and Houston, combined to go 9 for 14 with 4 RBI and 7 runs scored. Harris went 4 for 6 with 3 runs scored, while Davis, the reigning SLC Hitter of the Week, was 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored. Senior second baseman Zack Dickson also went 3 for 5.
UCA starter Ryan Angus (3-2) got the victory despite allowing 10 hits and 6 runs. Cox pitched the final four innings, striking out six and allowing no runs. The duo combined for 11 strikeouts.
Game 2 of the series is set for 3 p.m. Saturday.
