CONWAY, Ark. _ Another complete game and another Southland Conference Tournament victory for the University of Central Arkansas Bears on Thursday night.

    Sophomore Connor Gilmore tossed the Bears' second consecutive complete game in as many nights and the Bears pounded out 11 hits in blasting the McNeese State Cowboys 11-3 before a crowd of 535 in second-round action at Bear Stadium.

    Gilmore (7-3) allowed just five hits and two earned runs in following Bryce Biggerstaff's complete game in Wednesday's opening game. Gilmore allowed just one base runner after the fifth inning but he was erased with a double play in the ninth inning.

    "He just went after (the hitters) and kept his composure even after we gave them two runs on an error,' said UCA head coach Allen Gum. "He just kept throwing and kept pitching. He just kept throwing strikes. He had really good stuff tonight. He had a little command issues here or there, but he worked his way through it. 

    "He did a great job. His stuff was really good. He kept them off balance all night. Just another complete game for us.'
 

    The Bears (31-21), the defending SLC Tournament champs, won their eighth consecutive game and seventh straight in SLC tournament play dating back to last season. UCA scored all the runs it would need in the first two innings off McNeese starter Bryce Kingsley. 

    The Bears grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning on two hits and an error. Senior Doug Votolato led off with an infield single and advanced to second on Wesley Hoover's base hit to right center. Chris Townsend bunted to first base and the Cowboys misplayed it, allowing Votolato to score and Hoover to reach third.
    
    Hoover then made it 2-0 when he scored on a passed ball.

    After McNeese tied it at 2-2 in the third on James Cantu's two-run single up the middle, the Bears took the lead for good with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. With two runners on, senior Scott Zimmerle hit a ball to the pitcher that was also misplayed in trying to get the out at first. Hoover scored on the play and Townsend also came in when no one covered home for the Cowboys.

    UCA then blew the game open with a five-run fourth inning. Townsend had a two-run single and Votolato added an RBI base hit. Townsend eventually came in to score on a wild pitch.

    McNeese State got its final run in the fifth but UCA stretched the lead to 11-3 with a pair of runs in the sixth, thanks to a single up the middle by Zimmerle that scored both Ferrell and Tyler Langley.

    Gilmore cruised from there to improve his career record 12-3 at UCA.

    "Getting the opportunity to come out in situations like this is just a blessing,' said Gilmore. "There were times when (McNeese) got back up and tied the game, but it was just a performance that everybody had that was unbelievable. Them doing that just gave me momentum to perform and keep playing the way I was playing.
 
    "It's nice to have (a winning streak) and come back home and have the fans and the atmosphere we have around this ballpark. Coming in like this and performing the way we have played is just outstanding.'

    Votolato finished 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a stolen base, his league-best 25th of the season. Towsend went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored, while Zimmerle was 2 for 4 with 3 RBI. McNeese finished with five hits and no player had multiple hits. Kingsley (5-5) took the loss.

    "We just capitalized on some mistakes they made,' said Gum. "We just built off that. We got some timely hits at the right time. Our guys were locked in a little bit better. With some guys struggling, other guys stepped up tonight.'

    UCA is one game away from another championship game appearance and will play again at 7 p.m. Friday against the winner of Friday's elimination game between McNeese State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, scheduled for noon.