CONWAY, Ark. – At home again for another ASUN series, the Central Arkansas softball team (19-15, 4-5 ASUN) welcomes Bellarmine (10-26, 1-8 ASUN) to Farris Field for a three-game set. First pitch against the Knights is set for 2 p.m., as the first half of a doubleheader on Saturday, followed by a noon start on Sunday.
 
In their previous outing, the Bears fell just short in a comeback attempt against the No. 9/10 Arkansas Razorbacks. After falling behind early, the batters slowly chipped away at the lead, with a home run from Tylar Vernon starting the comeback in the fourth. From there, Jaylee Engelkes would hit a double in each of the fifth and seventh innings to score three more runs, narrowing the gap to 6-4, but the Bears came up just short of the upset.
 
More importantly for Central Arkansas, after a rough series last weekend, the bats got going against some very good Arkansas pitching. Recording seven hits, the Bears got contributions up and down the lineup, reinvigorating a lineup that will face a brand-new opponent in Bellarmine.
 
The Bears are led by Jenna Wildeman's conference-leading .417 batting average and 26 stolen bases. Mary Kate Brown is tied for second in the ASUN with 30 RBI, while Engelkes' seven bombs are tied for fifth. In the circle, Kayla Beaver is second in the league with 12 wins, while Jordan Johnson is fourth in the ASUN with 94 strikeouts.
 
In just its second season as a Division I athletics program, Bellarmine comes to Conway with just 10 wins on the season, having only picked up one victory in conference play. The Knights did take a win in their midweek this week, taking down Evansville with a 9-5 final score. Bellarmine jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the third inning before the Aces were able to answer, cutting the lead to 7-5 after five innings. But the Knights answered with a 2 RBI double in the sixth inning to ice the game.
 
Emily O'Dee drove in five runs for the Knights on a pair of home runs, including a second inning grand slam. In a lineup looking for some consistency, O'Dee is tied for third on the team with her pair of homers, batting .275 on the year.
 
As a team, the Knights hit just .211, led by Grace Werner's .302. Werner is also responsible for 20 of the team's 22 stolen bases, only being caught stolen twice this season. Hanna Webb tops the roster with nine doubles, and is third on the team with 12 RBI. The pitching corps has a combined ERA of 5.24, with 112 strikeouts and a pair of shutouts.
 
First pitch against the Knights is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, the first game of a doubleheader to start the series. The third game of the set is on Sunday, with a noon first pitch. Video streams and stats links are available at UCASports.com.