FLORENCE, Ala. – Using the long ball in game one and clutch pitching in game two, the Central Arkansas softball team picked up both games of a doubleheader over North Alabama Saturday afternoon. With the win in game one, the Bears clinched a spot in the ASUN Championship, locking in a conference tournament berth in their first season in the ASUN. The two wins improved Central Arkansas' record to 30-17 overall and 14-6 in conference.
Mary Kate Brown took charge of the offense in game one, blasting a pair of home runs and driving in four RBI. Her four runs driven in matched a season-high, marking the fourth game of the season that the second baseman has recorded four RBI. In the circle,
Jordan Johnson and
Kayla Beaver tag-teamed both games, each getting a win and a save on Saturday.
Game One: Central Arkansas – 6, North Alabama – 3
After starting the game slowly in the first inning, the Bears put a run on the board in the second, taking an early lead.
Jaylee Engelkes started things off with a leadoff single, promptly getting moved to second on a base hit by
Morgan Nelson. With two outs,
Tylar Vernon mashed a single to the outfield to drive in a pinch running
Lexi McClellan.
Reagan Sperling led off the third with a long single to center field. Back at the top of the order,
Jenna Wildeman slapped a single to put two runners on with one out. Now with Brown at the plate, it didn't take her long to find a pitch she liked, demolishing the second pitch and skying a three-run moon shot to push the lead to four. Scoring for the 46th time this season, Wildeman claimed sole possession of Central Arkansas' single-season record for runs scored in a season.
North Alabama finally got on the board in the fourth, returning the favor with a two-run home run off the bat of Georgia Land.
After working down the order in the fourth inning, Brown came back to the plate in the fifth, two outs and nobody on. Watching a couple of pitches go by, she tattooed her second homer with a 2-0 count, answering the bell again at the plate.
The Bears scored one more in the top of the sixth, this one a little more like the usual scoring method than the home run derby Brown was putting on. Nelson singled to kick things off, getting a pinch running
Lindsey Williams moved to second with a single from
Kylie Griffin. Vernon walked to load the bases, after which Sperling was able to drive in Williams with a single to center field.
North Alabama scored one in the seventh, but
Kayla Beaver picked up her second save of the season after inducing three ground outs to end the ball game.
Game Two: Central Arkansas – 6, North Alabama – 5
The offense in the first inning looked like the second game could look like the first one.
Tremere Harris got on base with a single, taking second base on a ground out on the next at bat. Then a single by
Jaylee Engelkes drove in Harris, moving to second on a throwing error from the outfield. On the next at bat,
Morgan Nelson rocked a double to left center that allowed Engelkes to round all the way in for the second run of the inning.
Unable to score for the next couple of innings, the Bears surrendered a run to the Lions on a fielding error, narrowing the lead to just one run after three innings.
Tylar Vernon reached on a fielder's choice in the fourth, setting up
Reagan Sperling for a two-run home run, growing the lead to 4-1. North Alabama added one of their own in the home half of the inning, keeping it closer than the Bears would prefer.
Into the sixth, Sperling tagged a single up the middle to get on with two outs. At the top of the order,
Jenna Wildeman beat out a signature infield single to put a runner in scoring position. Facing down a two-strike count, Harris knocked a two RBI double to left field, putting the lead back at 6-2 with an inning and change remaining.
Not backing down, the Lions led off the bottom half of the frame with a first-pitch homer before loading the bases and singling in a second run in the inning. Entering the game with six outs remaining,
Jordan Johnson struck out two-straight before retiring the third on a first-pitch flyout to end the sixth and keep the lead at 6-4.
After going three up and three down for the first time since the top of the first in game one, the momentum started to shift away from the Bears. North Alabama connected on a double with one out to establish a runner, scoring on the next at bat to make it a one-run game. With the go-ahead run at the plate, Johnson stared down the gun and induced two swinging strikeouts to finish off the Lions and clinch the series win for the Bears, earning her second save of the season.
With the win, Central Arkansas increased its lead on the ASUN West, building a two-game advantage with four games remaining on the schedule. Game three against the Lions is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
