MONROE, La. – Sometimes hitting the road can be a good thing when a team is searching to try and find its way. The University of Central Arkansas softball squad used a total team effort to take down UL Monroe 7-3 Tuesday evening at the ULM Softball Complex in just its second road contest in a month to snap a four-game losing streak and open the spring break road trip with a bang.

It seemed like during the losing skid, all the bounces went in the way of the opposition and after UL Monroe hit a solo home run in the first inning off the left field foul pole, it looked like more misfortune was in the forecast for the Bears. However, UCA (13-16) refused to yield and grinded out some runs before breaking it open late to earn the victory.

NOTABLES
 

• In one of the best offense performances of the season, leadoff hitter Kayla Crutchmer recorded a perfect 4-4 day at the plate. The junior's average is up to .356 for the season after recording four singles on Tuesday.
• Rio Sanchez (5-5) pulled her record back to .500 with a complete-game victory over UL Monroe. She allowed just two earned runs and struck out four in the win.
• The game broke open on Cylla Hill's two-run shot in the seventh inning. It was the Henreytta, Okla. native's third big fly of the season. She also had a two-run single as she finished the game 2-4 with four RBIs.
• Second baseman Libby Morris went 1-3 with one RBI and one run scored. The RBI came on a base on balls to tie the game in the fourth inning and was her team-leading 30th RBI in 2019.
• Kailla Searcy and Erin Blackburn picked up the other two hits for the Bears in the victory. Blackburn scored her sixth run this season on Tuesday.

QUOTES FROM CENTERFIELDER KAYLA CRUTCHMER

"I think it was a good start to the trip," Crutchmer said. "I hope this is the one that gets us going. Being on the road can be tough, but hopefully today gives us a boost for the weekend trip. We changed up practice a little bit and I think we had better approaches at practice yesterday. Baylor is a good team and they will only help us get better for Incarnate Word, who is a really scrappy team, this weekend."

ON DECK

The Bears will continue their spring break road trip with a 6 p.m. first pitch tomorrow in Waco, Texas against Big 12-powerhouse Baylor. For all things UCA Softball follow the program on Twitter @UCASoftball or @UCASports.