CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team celebrated Senior Day with a 7-1 game one win over Lipscomb Saturday afternoon before falling 2-1 in extra innings in game two. Though the bats rang loudly in both games, the runs just weren't there in game two like they were at the start of the day.
The Bears move to 27-16 overall and 11-6 in ASUN play with the split, with a rubber match on Sunday to decide the series with the Bisons.
Mary Kate Brown registered three RBI on the day, while
Kristen Whitehouse led the Bears with five hits.
Game One: Central Arkansas – 7, Lipscomb – 1
Capitalizing on the emotional high of celebrating the senior class, the offense exploded out of the gates in game one against the Bisons, as the hits came early and often against the Lipscomb starting pitcher.
Jenna Wildeman kicked things off with an infield single, getting moved over to second on the next at bat. Brown put her through home base with a deep single to put the Bears on the board. A couple of batters later,
Morgan Nelson blasted her fifth home run of the season to push the lead to 3-0.
Starting the second inning at the nine-spot,
Reagan Sperling was walked to start the home half of the second frame. After moving to second on the next at bat,
Tremere Harris rocked a double to send her home, extending the lead to four. On the literal next pitch, Brown sent Harris home, putting another double in the exact same spot to make it a five-run advantage.
Jaylee Engelkes used her next at bat to tally her tenth homer of the year, adding another pair of runs to the early lead.
The Bisons finally got on the board in the sixth inning, connecting on a single and moving the runner over to third before a sacrifice fly kept Lipscomb from getting shut out.
Kayla Beaver picked up the win in the circle, notching her 15
th win of the season while striking out four runners and allowing just the one run.
Game Two: Central Arkansas – 1, Lipscomb – 2
The second game of the day started with similar energy as the first, with the Bears scoring in the first inning.
Jenna Wildeman reached on a single to left center to start things off, getting moved to second on the next at bat.
Mary Kate Brown registered her team-leading 39
th RBI driving in Wildeman with a double, also to left center, putting the Bears in the driver's seat again.
Lipscomb would match that run in the top half of the second, piecing together back-to-back singles to put runners on. Moving them over with a sacrifice bunt, a single past the infield allowed the run to score from third, notching the score at 1-1.
Central Arkansas would load the bases in the third inning, threatening to retake the lead with two outs, but couldn't put one more base hit on the ground, as the Bisons escaped a critical at bat. Neither team generated much offense from the third to the sixth as both pitchers settled in.
The Bears again loaded the bases in the sixth inning, putting themselves in a prime position to capture a series win late in the game. With one out, the Bears batted into a force-out at home before flying out to the left fielder with two outs to return to the field without a run.
Lipscomb finally ended things in the eighth inning, scoring on a sacrifice fly that the Bears weren't able to match.
The teams will play one more game in the series, facing off again on Sunday to declare a series winner. With a noon first pitch, the Bears will honor their graduates with a ceremony before first pitch.
