ITTA BENA, Miss. – For the third game in a row, the University of Central Arkansas softball squad was locked into a pitcher's duel before senior
Morgan Felts tripled home a pair of runs in the sixth to break the ice and propel the Bears in their 4-0 victory. Central Arkansas tacked on two runs in the sixth and seventh inning to earn the win.
UCA (19-19, 5-7 SLC) improved to 7-0 against Southwestern Athletic Conference opponents this season and 12-4 against the Devilettes all-time. In just the fourth home game all season for Mississippi Valley State (3-27, 0-9 SWAC), the Bears outhit MVSU 8-5 and did not commit an error defensively to improve their 2019 road record to 7-4.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- The complete-game shutout from Rio Sanchez (6-6) was her fifth-such performance in the circle this season. The Erie, Colo. native has been the go-to arm in the Central Arkansas rotation, leading the team in ERA (2.23) and strikeouts (52).
- For Felts, it was her second triple of her senior season and fifth in her career as a Bear. The two RBI increased her season total to six.
- Leadoff-extraordinaire Kayla Crutchmer was a stellar 3-4 at the plate while stealing two bases to improve her season total to 28 on the year.
- Second baseman Libby Morris extended her Southland Conference leading RBI total to 37 on the season with an RBI-sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh.
- Kaylyn Shepherd continues to get it done at the plate with another RBI on a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Shepherd is third on the team and fifth in the conference with 26 runs batted in on the season.
- Cylla Hill (1-4, one run scored), Erin Blackburn (1-3, one run scored) and Oakley Sisemore (1-2, one stolen base) round out the offensive effort for Central Arkansas.
ON DECK
THE UCA Softball program will host its annual Cancer Awareness Weekend with a three-game series against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beginning with a doubleheader Friday at 4 p.m. As the leadoff to UCA Athletics Super Bear Saturday, Central Arkansas softball will conclude its series with the Islanders with an 11 a.m. first pitch Saturday morning. For all things UCA Softball, follow the program on Twitter @UCASoftball or @UCASports.
