Thibodaux, Louisiana – The Central Arkansas Bears and Nicholls Colonels met in a battle of two of the Southland Conference's top teams on Friday afternoon, playing a pair of games at Nicholls' Swanner Field. The two sides delivered a performance fitting of a battle for second place in the league standings, with Nicholls rallying for a 2-1 win in the day's first game and Central Arkansas rebound with a 4-1 win in the night cap.

After stranding runners in scoring position in the first and second innings, Central Arkansas (17-14, 8-3 SLC) finally broke through in the fourth inning. After a runner was cut down at the plate for the first out of the inning, the Bears got an RBI double from catcher Ryan McTaggart to take a 1-0 lead.

The advantage would hold until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Nicholls (22-10, 8-3 SLC) took the lead with a 2-1 double from catcher Kali Clement.

The Bears were unable to respond, going in order in the top of the seventh.

Rachel Haberman (3-1) was on the wrong side of the decision in the pitchers' duel, takikng the loss despite holding the Colonels to a pair of runs on five hits and two walks while throwing her second complete game of the season.

Left fielder Oakley Sisemore got things going in the night cap, reaching on a bunt single with one out in the top of the first, before moving to third thanks to an error on a hard-hit ball from Myers and scoring on a wild pitch to put Central Arkansas up 1-0. Catcher Lauren Brooks would lead off the second with a double and advance to third on a single from right fielder Morgan Felts, before another Colonel error, this one off the bat of Sisemore, would allow Brooks to cross the plate and push the Bears' lead to 2-0.

After Nicholls cut into the UCA advantage with an RBI single from shortstop Amanda Gianelloni in the third inning, the Bears responded in the fourth, with Brooks again starting things with a double. Another error allowed pinch runner Mary Mills Lochala to move to third base, before Sisemore singled her home to push the lead back to two, at 3-1.

Shortstop Kate Myers would cap the game's scoring in the seventh inning, blasting her third home run of the season over the fence in left field.

Kailla Searcy (4-4) picked up the win for the Bears, holding Nicholls to a single run on four hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts in 4.2, innings, and Rio Sanchez (1) picked up the save with 2.1 innings of perfect relief.

On tn the day, Brooks, Myers, Sisemore, and first baseman Kaylyn Shepherd each had a pair of hits, with all four scoring a run.

The Bears and Colonels will decided the series tomorrow, with first pitch set for 12:00 PM.