JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Wrapping up a three-game set on Sunday, the Bears (19-14, 4-5 ASUN) dropped both games of a doubleheader to North Florida. Entering the series as the ASUN's top offense, the bats struggled all weekend as the Bears couldn't get past the Osprey pitching.
Both games on Sunday ended in heartbreak for the Bears, with the morning game ending in extra innings, while the second one ended after Central Arkansas loaded the bases trailing by one in the seventh inning.
Game One (8 innings): Central Arkansas – 0, North Florida – 1
Just like in the first game of the series, the Bears had a tough time getting runners on base. Through the first three innings, the only players that managed to get on were
Mary Kate Brown with a double and
Jenna Wildeman on a fielding error. On the other side, North Florida threatened immediately, loading the bases in the bottom half of the first. From there,
Jordan Johnson stayed calm and collected, striking out two in a row to escape without any damage.
Both teams fell into a slump through the middle of the game, failing to advance runners past second base, sometimes even having a tough time getting runners on. The bottom of the sixth inning took five pitches, as Osprey batters took early pitches and just grounded out on three-straight at bats.
The seventh inning provided one more opportunity for Central Arkansas, as
Kylie Griffin led off with a single through the middle.
Erin Blackburn came in to pinch hit a couple of batters later, coming up with a single of her own, before
Emily Sampson showed poise and drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Changing pitchers, North Florida battled through and forced a lineout and a ground out to end the threat. Into the eighth, the Ospreys walked it off with a single up the middle that drove in a runner from second.
Game Two: Central Arkansas – 2, North Florida – 3
A third-straight game decided by just a couple of runs, a couple of trends were kicked in the early parts of this game. With both teams scoring in the first two innings, the teams scored before the fourth inning for the first time this series.
After surrendering one in the first inning, the Bears responded in the second inning. Reaching on a fielder's choice,
Kylie Griffin continued to be a bright spot for Central Arkansas. She took advantage of a wild pitch, moving over to second and establishing herself in scoring position. Getting moved to third on a groundout, she sat 60 feet from scoring with two outs. She would head in when a wild pitch skewed toward the right side of the plate, opening a lane for the freshman to scamper home and even the score.
Undeterred, the Ospreys picked up two more runs on back-to-back hits with one out to retake the lead at 3-1. Central Arkansas' offense slowed again, going three-up, three-down in the fourth.
Getting on base again in this game, Griffin opened the fifth inning with a single, moving to second on a subsequent error by the Ospreys.
Reagan Sperling singled with the next at bat, sending Griffin to third. Capitalizing on another throwing error, Griffin sprinted home to cut the lead to just one.
Taking care of business on the defensive side, Central Arkansas needed just one run in the seventh to tie.
Erin Blackburn singled to start the inning, getting sent to second on a Griffin sacrifice bunt. Sperling singled for the second time in the game, moving Blackburn to third with one out.
Morgan Nelson stayed patient in the box, earning a walk to load the bases. Facing a potentially catastrophic inning, the North Florida defense stood firm, forcing outs on the next two batters without letting any runners advance, holding onto the one-run lead.
The Bears will come home for the next week of play, starting the week with a midweek against the No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks on Tuesday. The third SEC opponent of the season for Central Arkansas, game time against the Razorback is set for 6 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear purple as part of our Purple Out against Arkansas.
