CONWAY, Ark. – Finishing off a three-game series against North Florida, the Bears opened ASUN play with a sweep of the Ospreys, putting together a double-digit win on Sunday. Similar to game two, the bats of Central Arkansas could not be stopped, and the Bears punched a season-high four home runs.
 
The win improves the softball team to 18-7 on the year, now 3-0 in conference games. Jordan Johnson picked up her eighth win of the season, allowing just two hits on the day. In two games in the series, Johnson allowed just four hits and two runs across 12.0 innings of work.
 
Central Arkansas wasted little time getting on the board, using two walks with two outs to get Madi Young and Mary Kate Brown on base. Morgan Nelson came to the plate, already with a home run in the series, and absolutely decked one to center field, putting the Bears up 3-0 early in the game.
 
The lead grew considerably in the third, as the Bears put 10 batters up to the plate. Young led off getting hit by a pitch, and Brown followed with a double to left field. Nelson walked, and suddenly, the bases were loaded. North Florida battled to get a couple of outs, but walked Josie Willingham, adding another run to the Bears' row on the scoreboard but keeping the bases loaded.
 
Then Jenna Wildeman came to the plate, entering the game with 21 hits, all of them singles. Fighting to a 2-2 count, Wildeman popped the fifth pitch of the at bat to shallow left, right in a sweet-spot between the shortstop and the left fielder. The left fielder, trying to make the play, dove to make the catch but missed, and the ball rolled deeper toward the corner. By the time she recovered to field the ball, the pure speed of Wildeman had her rounding third and heading for home. The throw wasn't in time to stop the Bentonville, Ark., native from walking across home for a stand-up, inside-the-park grand slam. It marked the first homer of Wildeman's career, and the first extra base hit of her season.
 
North Florida picked up two runs in the top of the fourth, cutting into the lead on a deep single to right field and an RBI groundout. But the Bears answered in the home half; the Ospreys changed pitchers, and the home lineup punished the new kid in the circle. Brown welcomed her to the game with a first-pitch double, and was immediately driven home by Nelson's second home run of the game, her sixth of the year and third of the series. Colleen Bare made it twice as nice on her next at bat, mashing her first-career home run right after Nelson's, stretching the lead to 11-2.
 
Two batters later, Willingham drew her third walk of the game, and moved to second on a single by Wildeman. Kylie Griffin came to the plate and gutted out an RBI single, allowing Willingham to cross home for the final run of the game.
 
The weekend series was a much-needed offensive explosion; the Bears hit .420 on the weekend, while holding the Ospreys to just .150 at the plate. Three starters hit .500 or better, with Griffin hitting .556 and Nelson and Bare hitting .500. The trio combined for 13 hits, four home runs and 11 RBI.
 
A team normally built on speed and forcing defenses to make mistakes, Central Arkansas was all power this weekend, hitting 16 extra base hits on its 69 at bats. The four home runs hit today marked a season-high, and the Bears went a second-straight game with fewer than five strikeouts at the plate.
 
Central Arkansas is on the road all of next week, starting with a Tuesday game against Memphis before heading to Middle Tennessee on Wednesday. The Bears will play their first conference series on the road next weekend at North Alabama.