Conway – The Central Arkansas Bears opened the home portion of their Southland Conference schedule on Friday, hosting the Abilene Christian Wildcats for a doubleheader at Farris Field. The Bears took the first game 4-1, before falling 3-2 in eight inning in the nightcap.
Central Arkansas (21-11, 5-3 SLC) jumped out to an early lead in the first game. Left fielder
Hannah Stirton got things going, leading off the second inning with a double to left-center field. First baseman
Audrey Pratt then ripped a double of her own to left, driving in Stirton to put the Bears up 1-0. Shortstop
Kate Myers then got in on the act, lacing a double inside the left field line to plate Pratt and pushing the lead to 2-0.
The Wildcats (12-13, 6-2 SLC) got a run back in the top of the third thanks to an RBI single from shortstop Peyton Hedrick, but the Bears pushed the lead back to two runs in their half of the frame. Second baseman
Sarah Bigej drew a one-out walk, before racing in to score on back-to-back singles from catcher
Jessie Taylor and Stirton.
Centerfielder
Amy Gunnells gave the Bears their final run in the bottom of the fourth, blasting the ball over the bullpen in left field for her third home run of the season.
Shivaun Landeros (13-7) outdueled ACU's Hannah Null, picking up her 10
th complete game while limiting the Wildcats to a single earned run on seven hits and a pair of walks while striking out six.
In the nightcap, the Bears got a run on a double steal from Pratt and Gunnells in the second and an RBI single from designated player
Bailey Reynolds in the third to take a 2-
0 lead. It appeared that the lead would hold until the top of the seventh, when ACU picked up a pair of runs.
The Bears got the winning run to third base in the bottom of the inning, but were unable to push it across, sending the game to extras.
After ACU got an unearned run in the top of the eighth, the Bears went in order in the bottom of the frame.
Kayla Gomness got the start for the Bears, allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out five in 6.1 innings of work. Landeros took the loss in relief, surrendering an unearned run and striking out three while allowing one hit in 1.2 innings.
The Bears and Wildcats will face off in the rubber match of the series tomorrow at noon.
