SAN ANTONIO — Kylee Studioso allowed just one run and seven hits while striking out 15 in 12 innings as Central Arkansas swept a Southland Conference doubleheader against Incarnate Word on Friday, winning 9-1 in five innings in the first game before closing with a 5-0 victory in the nightcap.
Studioso went the distance in both games for the Bears (22-30, 11-11 Southland), recording her third shutout of the season with nine strikeouts in the day's second game after allowing just two hits in the opener. The two wins improve her season record to 14-9 and gives her 181 strikeouts for the season – the most in a season for any pitcher in program history outside of Kelsie Armstrong.
Jessie Taylor tied the UCA single-season RBI record with her 48th of the year, Briana Whisenhunt was 4-for-8 at the plate with a pair of RBI on the day, Amy Gunnells had 3 RBI and Hayley Parker and Hannah Stirton each had two.
In the day's first win, the Bears scored nine runs on 10 hits and four walks while limiting UIW (19-28, 5-12) to two hits. UCA jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the 2nd inning when Stirton ripped a two-run home run over the left field wall. The Bears added three more in the 3rd – Taylor driving in Whisenhunt with a double to left center to tie the RBI record. Taylor came around to score on a Taylor Dear groundout, and Gunnells singled to drive in Parker to push the lead to 5-0 after 3.
The Bears added four runs in the 5th, getting two when Parker doubled to right center to score Lindsey Barsoum and Tylor Dodson – pinch running for Taylor and Ashley Boswell, who had reached on a double and a walk.
Parker crossed for the third run of the inning on a Gunnells sacrifice fly, and Sarah Bigej drove in the Bears' final run with a single to center field to score Lindsay Elliott, who had come in to run after Dear reached on a hit by pitch.
UIW got one run in the bottom half of the fifth, but could not avoid the run rule as they left a runner stranded at third base.
In the nightcap, the Bears took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 3rd after Bigej reached on a single through the left side of the infield, stole second, then scored on a Whisenhunt single up the middle.
UIW looked poised to answer in the bottom half of the inning as they loaded the bases with no outs, but Studioso struck out the next two hitters and got Whitney Waltrip to pop up to third to end the threat.
UCA tacked on another in the 4th on an Ashley Boswell solo home run to center, then stretched the lead to four with two runs in the 6th on a pinch-hit RBI double by Peyton Jenkins and an RBI single by Gunnells. The Bears got their final run in the top of the 7th when Whisenhunt tripled to score Sam Forrest.
The Bears closed it out with a popup to back to Studioso, a line out to Parker, and a flyout to Gunnells, securing the series victory. The Bears will look to complete the series sweep Saturday at 11 a.m.
