CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team couldn't finish off the sweep against Liberty, falling on Sunday morning with a 4-3 final score. After taking an early lead, the Bears couldn't quite regain their footing after surrendering the lead in the sixth.
 
Sunday's loss moves the Bears to 33-9 overall after just their second dropped ASUN game this season, and ends the program-record 14 game win streak. Kayla Beaver also ended a streak of 46.1 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run, a titanic run that saw the pitcher strike out 47 batters, allow just two extra base hits, and record seven wins with four shutouts.
 
Like the first two games, Central Arkansas started the scoring, plating the first run of game three on a wild pitch that allowed Jenna Wildeman to sneak home. She and Tremere Harris were in scoring position after both reached base and were moved over to second and third on a groundout, and the wild pitch moved Harris to third. Madi Young made short work of her at bat, scoring Harris with a sharply hit single up the middle to make it 2-0 Bears. The hit put Young on base for the 20^th game in a row, by far the longest streak of the season by a Central Arkansas player.
 
But Liberty responded in the top of the fourth, opening with three-straight singles to score its first run. A couple of batters later, a fourth single in five batters tied the game at two runs apiece. The teams would remain deadlocked until the sixth, when the Lady Flames rattled off three-straight singles again to score two more runs, twice beating throws to first by literal inches to fend off a third out.
 
Central Arkansas tried to muster a response, with Young reaching on a fielder's choice to mark two outs. Mary Kate Brown singled to move her over to second, and a double to the wall by Morgan Nelson scored the shortstop to cut the lead to one. But with two outs and not a lot of wiggle room available, the Bears couldn't find a tying run, as the final four batters were retired in order.
 
Despite the loss, the Bears remain atop the ASUN standings, now at 16-2 in conference games with wins in all six series. Central Arkansas is still the only team to have series wins in all six weekends of conference play, and is in good position to lock up the No. 1 seed in the ASUN Championship in next week's series against Jacksonville State. First pitch against the Gamecocks is set for 5 p.m. next Saturday in Jacksonville, Ala.