TULSA, Okla. – A big sixth inning, capped by Jaylee Engelkes' second grand slam of the season, lifted the Bears to a 9-1 win over Tulsa Tuesday evening. It moves Central Arkansas to 11-7 on the season, with a six game winning streak.
 
The scoring started in the top of the first for the Bears, as Jenna Wildeman and Tremere Harris both got on base early, adding stolen bases to their ledgers quickly to put the Golden Hurricane in a tight spot early. Faced with a full count, Mary Kate Brown launched a sacrifice fly to bring Wildeman in for the score.
 
Using three-straight at bats to start the second, Central Arkansas was able to add another run to the lead. Erin Blackburn reached on an error before being moved to second by Kylie Griffin. Kristen Whitehouse drove in Blackburn with a hard hit single to left center, boosting the lead to 2-0. On the other side, Tulsa only had one base runner through the first two innings, and that came on a fielding error by the Bears.
 
The Golden Hurricane recouped one run in the fourth inning, getting back-to-back hits with two outs to drive in what would ultimately be the only run scored by the American Athletic Conference opponent.
 
Central Arkansas broke it open in the sixth, scoring seven runs in the frame to close the game. Griffin opened things up with a triple, before promptly being driven in by Whitehouse. Emily Perry came in to pinch hit and rewarded the decision with a double. Lexi McClellan reached on an error to load the bases, really putting pressure on the Tulsa pitcher. A couple of batters later, Harris reached on a fielder's choice as Perry scored. Brown reached the same way with her at bat, keeping the bases loaded as a pair of runs scored in the inning.
 
In walked Engelkes, already with one grand slam to her name. Taking a ball and fouling a pair of pitches off, she sat behind in the count when she put one deep to left field, bringing everybody home and putting the game out of reach for the Golden Hurricane.
 
Kayla Beaver picked up the win in the circle, tossing a complete game, albeit six innings, striking out five and allowing only two hits. The victory marked the seventh win of the year for the sophomore.
 
Up next for the Bears is a trip to the Bluff City, where Central Arkansas will play in the UofM Softball Tournament, hosted by the University of Memphis. There, the Bears will play a diverse selection of opponents, including Oklahoma State and South Dakota. Games will begin on Thursday, with Central Arkansas playing its first one at 4 p.m.