BATON ROUGE, La. – Playing in its first tournament of the season, the Central Arkansas softball team couldn't find a way to put runs on the board, as the Bears fell in their first two games of the season. After losing a narrow one to South Alabama in the morning, the Bears were unable to capitalize on baserunners against Illinois, dropping a 9-0 decision.
 
Though the top three batters for Central Arkansas were able to find hits in both games, the back six struggled to find a rhythm on day one. Jenna Wildeman and Tremere Harris each collected three hits and three stolen bases over the two games, while Mary Kate Brown added three hits of her own.
 
Game One – Central Arkansas 4, South Alabama 7
Both teams found pay dirt in the first inning, as Wildeman started the season with a walk and a steal before Harris batted her in with a single to right field. Harris then stole her first base of the season immediately after but couldn't get past third base and in for a score.
 
Giving up a few runs to the Jaguars, the Bears were down 3-1 entering the fifth. Wildeman again scored a run, as Harris reached on an error, narrowing the gap to one run. Emily Perry loaded the bases getting hit by a pitch, putting pressure on the South Alabama pitcher. Two batters later, Emily Sampson got hit by a pitch as well, putting a runner through to tie the game. Lexi McClellan was able to sneak an infield single on the next at bat, driving in Perry to put the Bears on top.
 
Four runs by the Jaguars in the bottom half of the frame put them back on top, and from there, scoreless innings finished off the game. Central Arkansas left nine batters on base, picked up four walks, and were a perfect 3-for-3 on the basepaths.
 
Game Two – Central Arkansas 0, Illinois 9
Stranded runners were again a story against the Illini, as the Bears stranded another nine in the second game. Getting a double from Harris in the two-spot, who then advanced on a passed ball, the batters behind her were both retired without putting the ball in play. Allowing two runs in the first, the Bears were immediately behind the eight-ball.
 
The scoring started to snowball on Central Arkansas in the fourth, when Illinois was able to load the bases and capitalize on the threat, scoring five runs in the frame to break it open. Going to the bullpen, freshman Jordi Chartrand came in and calmed things down in subsequent innings, allowing only one hit through her first nine batters before the Illini were able to add a couple more runs at the end.
 
Central Arkansas continues the Tiger Classic tomorrow, playing Illinois again at 12:30 p.m. before facing the host team LSU at a scheduled time of 5:30 p.m. The LSU game will be available on ESPN+, and live stats are available for both the Illinois game and the LSU game.