RICHMOND, Ky. _ Saturday's home run derby at Earle Combs Stadium favored the home team as Eastern Kentucky used five long balls to top the University of Central Arkansas Bears 8-6 in their ASUN series finale.

UCA, which hit three home runs, still won its fifth consecutive ASUN series 2-1 to improve to 10-5 in league play and continue its hold on first place in the West Division at the halfway point of league play. The Bears start the second half next weekend at home against Bellarmine.

The Bears got home runs from senior left fielder Connor Emmet _ his team-leading 10th _  junior first baseman Hunter Hicks (4th) and redshirt freshman second baseman Tanner Leonard, the first of his career. But the Colonels (22-12, 9-5) took advantage of the wind even better with five homers, including two from catcher Will King, in the back-and-forth affair.

The Bears and Colonels combined to hit eight home runs from the fourth through seventh innings after three scoreless innings on both sides to start the game. UCA took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth on Noah Argenta's sacrifice fly. That would be the only run of the day not scored via a home run.

EKU answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run home run by KIng. UCA got those two back in the fifth when Emmet hit his fourth homer of the weekend, a two-run shot that scored RJ Pearson and gave UCA a 3-2 lead. A three-run blast by Logan Thomasson gave the lead back to EKU at 5-3.

UCA tied it in the sixth with Leonard's two-run shot to center but EKU got a solo home run from Roderick Chriss in the bottom of the inning. The Bears tied it again in the seventh on Hicks' solo to left but the Colonels picked up two runs in the bottom of the seventh with their fifth home run of the day to set the final.

Hicks went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored, while Argenta was 2 for 3 with an RBI and run scored. Emmet, who moved into the top 10 in UCA sngle-season home runs, had two runs batted in. Andrew Shoultz took the loss in relief, allowing two runs in 2 1/3 innings.

UCA hosts the Memphis Tigers at 6 p.m. Tuesday before returning to ASUN play on the weekend at Bear Stadium.