CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team struck first against the No. 2 Oklahoma State Cowgirls, but couldn't hold on late, falling 7-3 on Wednesday. The Bears, in front of a season-high 837 fans, led until the fourth inning before eventually succumbing to the top-ranked Cowgirls.
The Bears fall to 15-7 on the year with the loss, but sit 1-1 against top-10 teams in the country.
Kayla Beaver and the defense held the Cowgirls scoreless for three-plus innings before surrendering a score. Beaver struck out six in just her fourth loss of the season.
Central Arkansas sent the first three Cowgirls back to the dugout to open the game, catching the first batter at second on a deep single before back-to-back outs by Beaver sent the Bears to the plate.
Kylie Griffin, hitting at the two-spot, capitalized on a throwing error by the Oklahoma State pitcher to get to second base. A couple of batters later,
Mary Kate Brown connected on a deep single to center field to drive Griffin in for the first run of the game.
The second inning also yielded runs for the Bears, helping build the early lead.
Josie Willingham opened the frame with a walk, establishing an early baserunner. Two spots later in the lineup, Central Arkansas put three singles down right in front of the pitcher, outrunning the infielder and getting Willingham across home. Then, with two outs, Brown gutted out a walk to score another run, stretching the lead to 3-0.
Beaver stayed on top of the fifth-ranked offense in the nation for three innings, sending batters back to the dugout in order. But finally, the Cowgirls started connecting in the fourth, opening the inning with four-straight singles to finally get on the board. A groundout and a single down the right field line would score three more runs in the frame, putting Oklahoma State in front 4-3. Central Arkansas came 60 feet from responding in the home half of the inning, as
Jenna Wildeman and
Tremere Harris each stole a base in the fourth to move to third and second, respectively, but the lineup couldn't seal the deal, stranding the speedsters.
Oklahoma State would add two more in the sixth, scoring on back-to-back at bats with a sacrifice fly and a single up the middle to stretch the lead. Then in the seventh, the third-best home run hitting team in the Big 12 finally found one, adding a seventh and final run to the scoreboard.
Turning the page, the Bears now look ahead to the start of ASUN play, opening this weekend at home. Facing North Florida, it marks the first time hosting the Ospreys, the first of four home series of the conference slate.
