Baton Rouge, Louisiana – The Central Arkansas Bears hit the field at LSU's Tiger Stadium for a pair of games in the Purple & Gold Challenge, hosted by seventh-ranked LSU on Sunday. In the first game, the Bears stranded 15 runners en route to a 5-2 loss to Georgia Southern, while in the second game they found themselves hanging with the Tigers before ultimately falling 2-0.

Against the Eagles, Central Arkansas (2-8) grabbed an early lead, when first baseman Kaylyn Shepherd grabbed a one-out single before moving to second on a walk from catcher Lauren Brooks in the first. After Georgia Southern (3-6) pitcher Kierra Camp snagged a screamer off the bat of third baseman Cylla Hill for the second out, UCA pitcher Kailla Searcy poked a single to right field to drive in Shepherd and give the Bears a 1-0 lead.

Searcy opened the game on a roll in the circle, retiring the first nine Eagles she faced before GSU got a single to open the fourth inning. Following a strikeout, GSU got a triple from centerfielder Emily Snider and an RBI ground out from first baseman Morgan Robinson to take a 2-1 lead.

Georgia Southern would add to the lead in the fifth inning, taking advantage of a Central Arkansas fielding error and an illegal pitch to tack on three unearned runs on three hits.

Central Arkansas got one back in the sixth inning, mounting a short two-out rally when Brooks drew a walk and moved to second base on a wild pitch. Hill delivered again, shooting another single to right field to plate the UCA backstop and cut the lead the 5-2.

The Bears looked to have a rally going in the bottom of the seventh inning, getting a leadoff single from shortstop Kate Myers, a double from second baseman Morgan Felts, and a walk from leftfielder Hannah Stirton, but were unable to push a run across.

Searcy (0-1) took the loss for Central Arkansas, surrendering five runs, just two earned, on four hits and a walk while striking out four in 4.2 innings. Nicole Fullilove worked 0.2 innings, allowing a pair of walks and hitting a batter. Payton Herman made a successful season debut, limiting the Eagles to a hit and a walk in 1.2 innings.

In the final game of the weekend, the Bears found themselves in a pitcher's duel, with senior Kayla Gomness locked into a battle with LSU ace Carley Hoover that saw the pair combine to allow just six hits and two walks in 13 innings pitched. A pair of RBI singles for the Tigers in the bottom of the second would prove to be the difference, as Gomness (1-4) took the loss despite limiting the Tigers to just five hits and a walk in 6.0 innings of work.

On the day, Myers, Shepherd, and Felts each tallied a pair of hits, while Hill, Searcy, and Whisenhunt added one hit each.

Central Arkansas returns to action next weekend, hosting the Central Arkansas Invitational at Farris Field. The Bears will face off with Western Illinois at 4:30 PM on Friday afternoon, before taking on Louisiana-Monroe at 12:30 PM Saturday. UCA will close out the weekend with a pair of games on Sunday, squaring off with fellow Southland Conference member Houston Baptist for a non-conference tilt at 11:30 PM and closing out the weekend against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 2:00 PM.