CONWAY, Ark. – One more road series in conference play for the No. 23 Central Arkansas softball team, this one at Jacksonville State. First pitch against the Gamecocks is set for Saturday at 5 p.m., the first game of a doubleheader Sunday's game starts at 1 p.m., in Jacksonville, Ala.
 
The Bears (33-9, 16-2 ASUN) took two games from Liberty last season, winning the series and clinching a spot in the ASUN Championship with wins in the first two games. Mary Kate Brown and Morgan Nelson each hit .500 in the series, with Brown extending her hitting streak to double-digits. The pair combined for nine hits and five RBI across three games, putting a three-game gap between the Bears and Lady Flames as the season comes down to the final two weekends.
 
Each of Jordan Johnson and Kayla Beaver picked up a win in the circle, with Beaver picking up a shutout in game two. The two aces have been unbelievable this season, combining for a 1.48 ERA. They make up the only duo in Division I to have two pitchers that have each thrown 125.0 innings with 125 strikeouts each while both having a sub-1.60 ERA. Together, they have the Bears nationally ranked in a number of categories, with the fourth-lowest ERA in Division I, the 15^th-most shutouts and the 20^th-best strikeout to walk ratio.
 
With just six games left, the Bears hold a three-game lead over Liberty, which puts in play an opportunity this weekend to clinch a regular season title. If the series between Central Arkansas and Jacksonville State and Liberty's series with Austin Peay match after three games, with a tie breaker already in hand, the Bears would clinch the overall No. 1 seed in the ASUN Championships and a regular season title. If Liberty loses one of its first two games and Central Arkansas matches it with a win, the Bears would be four games up with four games left, clinching the regular season title as well.
 
Jacksonville State sits third in the conference entering the weekend with a 27-16 overall record and a 13-5 showing in conference. The offense was flowing last weekend, but the Gamecocks won just one game, falling in games two and three. Despite scoring 26 runs in three games, Jacksonville State gave up 28 to Eastern Kentucky, allowing nine home runs in the series.
 
Pitching was a struggle over the weekend, as the Gamecocks allowed 34 hits, 18 walks and nine home runs while only striking out 11 across three games. On the offensive side, the lineup came through with 34 hits, 14 walks and two home runs.
 
Junior first baseman Lindsey Richardson leads the team at the plate, batting .416 to lead the ASUN. With 52 hits, she is one of three hitters in the conference with 50-plus hits this season. She adds eight doubles and seven home runs to her tally, leading her team in both categories. Emma Jones has been the main beneficiary of her RBI production, scoring 42 times in 43 games. The junior infielder has been electric on the basepaths, swiping 30 bases in 31 attempts.
 
Game one of the series is the first of a doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 5 p.m. On Sunday, the teams will close the series at 1 p.m. All games will be on ESPN+, and live stats are available for each game as well.