CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears got a 10th-inning walk-off victory Sunday to earn a doubleheader split with the Missouri State Bears at Bear Stadium.
Junior left fielder Hunter Strong hit a single to left field in the 10th inning to score Josh Somdecerff with the opening game's only run in a hard-fought 1-0 extra-inning victory. Missouri State (4-2) took the nightcap 5-2 as UCA left 14 runners on base.
Game 1 was a tight pitching duel between UCA senior Tyler Gray and MSU's Dylan Coleman, with neither earning the victory. Gray went seven innings, striking out 9 and allowing just 2 hits. Coleman made it through eight innings with 13 strikeouts, also allowing just a pair of hits.
UCA finally got to the visiting Bears' bullpen in the 10th when Somdecerff singled up the middle to start the inning. Eddie Sanchez reached on a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt, putting runners at first and third with no outs. After MSU recorded an out, UCA pinch hitter Brett D'Amico was intentionally walked after he worked the count got to 3-0 against reliever Nate Witherspoon, loading the bases.
Matt Russell came on for MSU and Strong drilled his second pitch to left for the game winner. UCA finished with just four hits and MSU had only two. UCA's Mark Moyer relieved Gray and struck out four in three perfect innings of relief to earn the win.
In Game 2, UCA starter Cody Davenport tossed five scoreless innings before getting into trouble in the sixth, when the visiting Bears scored four times. It started with a bloop fly ball that fell between UCA players in short left field, resulting in a double for MSU's Matt Brown. John Privitera then brought him in with an RBI single to left and Hunter Steinmetz followed with an RBI double. Two walks and a wild pitch chased Davenport and Drew Millas greeted UCA reliever Tanner Wiley with a two-run single to right to make it 4-0.
After that, Wiley, a junior transfer from East Oklahoma State College, was dominant for the next few frames, striking out a career-high eight and allowing only two hits before MSU touched him for another run in the top of the ninth on Jack Duffy's triple.
The Bears grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third when Strong reached on an error, stole second base and scored on Keaton Presley's RIB single to right. They added another run in the bottom of the ninth when Strong singled, Presley walked and Strong advanced to third on a fielder's choice. A ground ball out by Jay Anderson scored Strong to make it 5-2. But MSU's fifth pitcher of the game finally got out of the inning and earned his first save.
Strong had two of UCA's six hits. MSU had seven hits, with Steinmetz going 2 for 4.
UCA hosts Creighton this weekend, with start times of 4 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Bear Stadium.
