CONWAY – Win one game tomorrow and you're in. That is the scenario that awaits the University of Central Arkansas softball team after taking both ends of Friday night's day-night doubleheader against Houston Baptist at Farris Field.
UCA (24-25, 10-13 SLC) knocked off the Huskies 3-0 in the series opener before holding on for a 5-4 thrilling victory in nightcap. With Houston Baptist the lone Southland Conference opponent that is chasing the Bears, a win tomorrow afternoon would clinch the eighth-straight SLC Tournament appearance for the program.
UCA 3, Houston Baptist 0
Head coach David Kuhn has been preaching pitching and defense all season long and that is exactly what Central Arkansas got in the opener. Some timely hits from the newly-anointed graduates of UCA and a stellar outing from the Bears' ace clinched the victory
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Sophomore, and leader of the UCA rotation, Rio Sanchez (9-10) dazzled on Friday afternoon. She shut down the Huskie bats, allowing just one hit in her ninth victory of the season. The Erie, Colo. native tallied seven strikeouts while tossing all 7.0 innings.
- Shortly after celebrating their graduation on the Farris Field turf, Morgan Felts and Oakley Sisemore combined for some clutch hits to guide the UCA offense. Felts finished the game 1-2 with an RBI and a run scored while Sisemore went 2-2 with a bases-loaded RBI-single to get the scoring started for the Bears.
- Cylla Hill (1-3, one run) and Erin Blackburn (1-3, one run) each provided a spark to the Central Arkansas offense in the victory.
UCA 5, Houston Baptist 4
Things were not as easy for the Bears in the nightcap as they broke a 3-3 tie in the fourth before tacking on a late insurance run and holding off a furious HBU rally to earn win No. 2 on the day, 5-4.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- No one was more clutch in Game Two than first baseman Kaylyn Shepherd. After the Huskies tied the game in the top of the fifth inning, Shepherd launched her sixth homer of the season, a solo shot to recapture the lead for the Bears. The Mechanicville, Va. native finished the contest 2-3 with three RBI and the solo home run.
- After a quality start from freshman Jordan Johnson, senior Rachel Haberman (5-4) took control of the game and ended and HBU threat in the fifth inning to earn the victory. Sanchez (1) picked up her first save of 2019, finishing off the Huskies over the final 2.0 innings.
- Junior Kayla Crutchmer etched her name in the record books on Friday night. The Tulsa, Okla. native swiped her 35th base of the season to tie the all-time program record. She finished the contest 2-4 with a run scored.
- Blackburn continues to be one of the most consistent bats for the Bears. She went 2-3 with an RBI double in the victory.
- Sisemore, Hill and Libby Morris each pitched in a basehit for Central Arkansas to help lead the offensive attack.
QUOTING KUHN
"Sometimes the ball just bounces your way," Kuhn said. "We were fortunate to have the ball bounce our way tonight, but hey we have been on the other side of that a lot. We had some great pitching performances and picked up some big hits. It would be huge for us to clinch a spot in the Southland Tournament tomorrow with a win. That's our goal every year, to make that tournament, and we will try and do that tomorrow."
UP NEXT
The Bears and Huskies will conclude their series at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The UCA Athletics Department will honor the seven softball seniors before the game. For all things UCA Softball, follow the program on Twitter and Instagram @UCASoftball.
