CONWAY, Ark. _ The Dallas Baptist Patriots got strong pitching from starter Jordan Mattison and reliever Dalton Higgins shut out the University of Central Arkansas Bears 4-0 on Friday night in the second game of their three-game, non-conference series at Bear Stadium.

    Mattison went seven innings, allowing just four hits and striking out 11 against just one walk. Higgins pitched two hitless innings and struck out four more as DBU evened the series after UCA's 10-4 on Thursday.

    The Patriots (19-15) scored twice in the third inning, opening the inning with consecutive base hits and then getting consecutive ground-ball RBIs. UCA starter Cody Davenport (2-2) went 7 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and four runs while striking out four.

    DBU scored single runs in the seventh and eighth and Higgins closed the door on the Bears (19-17), striking out the side in the ninth. 

    Junior right fielder Jansen McCurdy was the only Bear with multiple hits, going 2 for 3. Redshirt freshman Gavin Tillery and true freshman Ross Rogers combined to retire the five batters they faced in the eighth and ninth innings, with Rogers striking out two in the ninth.

    The series finale is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Bear Stadium.