Conway – A 5-0 deficit wasn't enough to keep the Central Arkansas Bears from picking up their third win in two days, thanks to a heroic relief performance and numerous timely hits. The Bears would rally for the 7-6 win in nine innings, handing the 25^th-ranked McNeese Cowgirls their first three-game sweep by a Southland Conference opponent since April 2011.

Trailing 5-0 after the first two innings, the Bears got a strong relief outing from freshman Rio Sanchez, who came out of the bullpen to limit the Cowgirls to one run on 13 hits while striking out four in 8.0 innings of work.

The shutdown performance allowed Central Arkansas (10-9, 3-0 SLC) to claw its way back into the game, starting with an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of second baseman Libby Morris in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The Bears would threaten in the fifth, before Morris delivered again in the sixth, blasting  two-run home run onto the berm in left-center field to drive in pinch runner Mary Mills Lochala and cut the McNeese lead to 5-3.

After Sanchez worked around a one-out triple in the top of the seventh, right fielder Morgan Felts led off the bottom of the inning with a double and came in to score on a single from shortstop Kate Myers. After catcher Cylla Hill reached on a fielder's choice that erased Myers, Morris came up big again, landing a double just inside the left field line. Hill advanced to third on the hit, before coming around to score the tying run thanks to an error on the play. A flyout would send the game to extra innings.
 

McNeese would get an RBI single from centerfielder Padyn Williams to take a 6-5 lead in the top of the ninth inning, but the Bears once again proved up to the task. Centerfielder Kayla Crutchmer led off the frame with a walk before Myers ripped a single up the middle. The pair would move up on a wild pitch following a flyout and Morris would again punish the Cowgirls, ripping a single through the right side to score Crutchmer and even the game at 6-6. After McNeese chose to intentionally walk first baseman Kaylyn Shepherd for the second time in the game, pinch hitter Ryan McTaggart worked a walk of her own to drive in Myers and give the Bears a 7-6 win.

On the day, Morris, Myers, and Felts each picked up three hits, with Morris adding four RBI, Myers chipping in a run and an RBI, and Felts adding a pair of runs.

The Bears step out of SLC play for a set of midweek games at home this week. UCA will host Alcorn State for a doubleheader set to begin at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, before welcoming Oklahoma State at 5:00 PM on Wednesday.