Conway – The Central Arkansas Bears took advantage of a big inning and a stellar pitching performance to open Southland Conference play with a doubleheader sweep of the 25
th-ranked McNeese Cowgirls on Friday night at Farris Field. The Bears took the first game 8-6 before securing the series win with a 2-1 win in the night cap.
After going in order in the first inning, the Central Arkansas (9-9, 2-0 SLC) offense erupted in the bottom of the second, as the Bears broke the game open with seven runs on five hits and a pair of McNeese (16-7, 0-2 SLC) errors. Designated player
Brianna McArthur opened the inning with a double down the leftfield line and came in to score on a double off the centerfield wall from second baseman
Libby Morris, before first baseman
Kaylyn Shepherd drew a walk. After catcher
Lauren Brooks loaded the bases with a single through the left side, left fielder
Oakley Sisemore reached on a fielder's choice that drove in Morris to make it 2-0 UCA. An infield single from right fielder
Morgan Felts and a walk from centerfielder
Kayla Crutchmer pushed the lead to 4-0, before an error off the bat of McArthur allowed Sisemore to score and extended the inning for Morris, who one-hopped the wall in left-center to plate Crutchmer and Felts and make the UCA lead 7-0.
The Cowgirls got on the board thanks to a two-run home run from designated player Morgan Catron in the third, but the Bears answered back with an RBI double from Sisemore in the bottom of the frame to push the lead to 8-2.
McNeese would rally in the top of the seventh, getting RBI from designated player Alexandria Saldivar, centerfielder Brenique Wright, second baseman Carleigh Chaumont, and pinch hitter Morgan Holmes to pull cut it 8-6. With the bases loaded and two outs, UCA skipper David Kuhn went to his bullpen, calling on
Rachel Haberman, who came in and forced a groundout back to herself to end the game.
Kailla Searcy (1-4) earned the win for the Bears, working 6.2 innings and allowing six runs on nine hits and five walks while striking out two, while Haberman picked up her first save of the season with 0.1 innings of work.
The nightcap was a much different affair, with Central Arkansas'
Rio Sanchez and McNeese's Alexsandra Flores combining to allow just two earned runs on eight hits and two walks in 13.0 innings pitched. Sanchez (4-2)would emerge as the victor, limiting the Cowgirls to a single run on four hits while issuing one walk and striking out three in her second complete game of the season.
Central Arkansas would take the lead thanks to an RBI groundout from McArthur in the fourth inning, and would add an insurance run on an RBI double from Sisemore in the fifth, while McNeese got a sacrifice fly from Catron in the sixth of its only run. Sanchez would get the Cowgirls to strand a runner in the sixth and the seventh to avoid the rally.
On the day, Morris was 3-for-6 with a double and three RBI to lead the UCA offense, and Sisemore went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two doubles, and a walk.
The Bears will go for the sweep in the series finale tomorrow. Initially scheduled for a 1:00 PM start, first pitch has been moved up to 12:00 PM due to the expectation of rain late in the afternoon.
