LAKE CHARLES, La. _ A dominant pitching performance from senior Tyler Gray led the University of Central Arkansas Bears to a 6-1 victory over the McNeese State Cowboys in their Southland Conference opener on Friday night at Joe Miller Ballpark.
Gray, a righthander from Fort Smith, tied the school record with 14 strikeouts, allowing just three hits in seven innings of work. Sophomore Mark Moyer tossed the final two innings, recording two more strikeouts and completing the three-hitter for the Bears (7-6, 1-0). The Cowboys (2-11, 0-1) had only two singles and a double and committed one error.
UCA scored all six runs in the second inning off McNeese starter Aidan Anderson, who allowed eight hits, six earned runs and struck out six. The Cowboys used five pitchers in all, with Anderson (0-4) taking the loss.
Senior catcher Justin McCarty led off the second with a double to left field and senior shortstop Josh Somdecerff followed with a two-run home run to left for a 2-0 lead. Right fielder Dusty Wright had a base hit up the middle and third baseman Rigo Aguilar walked. Left fielder Hunter Strong then singled through the left side, scoring Wright with the third run. After Coby Potvin walked, first baseman Tyler Smith laced a three-run double to the left-center gap to make it 6-0.
That was all Gray (2-0) would need as he struck out the side in the fifth and sixth innings before allowing consecutive walks to start the eighth and giving way to Moyer., who escaped the jam with just one run. He set down the Cowboys in order in the ninth, ending it with the Bears' 16 strikeout of the day, also tying the school record.
Gray's total tied a mark that was set three times, most recently by Matt Whitaker in 2007. Gray now has 35 strikeouts in four appearances this season.
The team record was set in April 1960 against Arkansas Tech.
Smith finished 2 for 4 with 3 RBI, while Somdecerff was 1 for 3 with 2 RBI as UCA totaled just eight hits.
A schedule change due to weather will have the Bears and Cowboys finishing the series with a doubleheader Saturday, beginning at 3 p.m.
