CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears walked off with a 6-4 victory over the Illinois State Redbirds on Saturday night at Bear Stadium in the opening game of their four-game series.
Junior second baseman Cole Fiori blasted a two-run home run to left center field in the bottom of the ninth to give the Bears the victory and even their early season record at 2-2. The Redbirds (3-1) had tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the inning on a double and an RBI groundout.
The Bears opened the ninth with a walk by shortstop Joshmar Doran off new ISU pitcher Jackson Bronke (0-1). Kolby Johnson reached on a fielder's choice before Fiori's one-out shot to left center ended it. It was Fiori's only hit of the nigh and second of the young season. Junior righthander Mathew Patton, who came on in the ninth to try and save it, allowed ISU's tying run but then picked up the win with the late home run.
UCA fell behind 1-0 in the first but tied it in the third and never trailed again. Junior third baseman Christian Brasher led off the third with a double over the center fielder's head and scored on Doran's single through the right side to make it 1-1. UCA pushed the lead to 2-1 in the fifth on junior right fielder Josh Ragan's long home run to left center that cleared the Edge Growler's Gap deck.
The Redbirds tied it again at 2-2 in the sixth but UCA answered again in the bottom of the inning with a Beau Orlando RBI single up the middle that followed Tyler Smith's double to the left-center gap. ISU knotted it yet again at 3-3 in the seventh with a sacrifice fly but UCA followed with an RBI double by Johnson that scored Doran for a 4-3 lead.
That lead held up until the ninth when ISU's Joe Butler led off with a double, moved to third on a ground out and scored the tying run on Tyson Hays' ground ball to shortstop.
Brasher and Orlando had two hits each, including a double, to lead UCA's 10-hit attack. UCA's combination of four pitchers held ISU's high-powered offense to just eight hits and four runs. The Redbirds entered the weekend as the No. 2 scoring team in the nation after totaling 51 runs in a three-game sweep of Belmont last weekend. Starter Cody Davenport struck out six in four innings.
The Bears and Redbirds will play a doubleheader Sunday beginning at 1, with the series finale set for noon Monday in the weather-delayed series.
