CONWAY, Ark. – Wrapping up a three-game ASUN series against Bellarmine (10-29, 1-11 ASUN), the Central Arkansas softball team (22-15, 7-5 ASUN) finished off the sweep against the visiting Knights with a 6-1 win on Sunday.
A pair of home runs early in the game ended up deciding Sunday's outing without much drama, as
Tylar Vernon hit a three-run shot in the second inning and
Jaylee Engelkes followed it up with a two-run shot in the third.
Kylie Griffin reached base with a two-out single in the second inning, breathing some life into the lineup after the first five batters were retired in order.
Morgan Nelson followed it up with a five-pitch walk, putting two runners on with two outs. Watching a couple of pitches go by her, Vernon spotted one in the zone and crushed it to left center, scoring the first three runs of the game with a single swing.
After a three up, three down top of the third inning for the Knights, the offense went right back to work.
Jenna Wildeman started things off with a walk and a steal, advancing to third on a groundout. With two outs in the inning, Engelkes strode to the plate with a runner 60 feet from scoring. With a 1-1 count, she rocked her team-leading eighth home run of the season, sending one straight away beyond the wall in center field, extending the lead to 5-0.
The Bears added one last run in the fourth inning, getting back-to-back singles from
Kylie Griffin and
Morgan Nelson and a walk from
Reagan Sperling to put the Knights in a perilous position. With two outs,
Tremere Harris stayed patient at the plate, trusting her instincts as a fourth ball walked a run in to make it 6-0. Bellarmine struck once in the sixth inning, scoring off of a double off the fence, but the Knights offense never could get anything going against
Jordan Johnson.
Johnson struck out 10 in the game, ringing up 22 batters in her two starts this weekend. Earning her eighth win of the year, she raised her strikeout total to 116 while dropping her ERA to 2.43. With the win, the Bears move to seven victories in ASUN play, moving the Bears into at least a tie for first place in the ASUN West with Jacksonville State, depending on how their Sunday result pans out.
Back on the road, Central Arkansas will head to Missouri State on Tuesday, where the Bears will face another team of Bears in a midweek battle. First pitch in Springfield, Mo., is set for 5 p.m.
