JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Clinching its first regular season title as members of the ASUN, the No. 23 Central Arkansas softball team used early runs and a stellar defensive finish to cap a three-game sweep of Jacksonville State, securing its 19^th conference win of the season. Central Arkansas claimed the 4-3 victory after holding the Gamecocks without a run for the final four innings.
 
Holding on through the final inning, the Bears (36-9, 19-2 ASUN) earned their first league regular season in program history with the Sunday victory. Central Arkansas claimed an ASUN West title last season, and finished second in the Southland in 2021, but finally sealed the deal on the regular season title in 2023 after sweeping the Gamecocks.
 
At bat to open the game, Tremere Harris started off with a double to left center, connecting on the ninth pitch of her at bat to get aboard. A couple of batters later, now on third, Harris made the sprint home on a sacrifice fly from Madi Young. The junior shortstop has back-to-back games with a sac fly, and finished the weekend with a pair of RBI.
 
More offense came through in the third inning, with Young opening the frame with a double to right center. Mary Kate Brown followed it with a single, moving the junior in front of her to third base. Up came Morgan Nelson, leading the team with nine home runs and missing out on one yesterday by inches. Down 0-2 in the count, Nelson found one she liked and demolished it, bashing it well beyond the fence in left center, scoring three runs.
 
Punching back, the Gamecocks loaded the bases with three consecutive at bats with one out. Getting a second out, the Bears were one play away from getting out of a jam. But with two strikes, the Gamecock first baseman connected and sent one to the rightfield corner, clearing the bases to cut the lead to just a single run. The three runs were the most scored by Jacksonville State in any of the three games, but it still wasn't enough to steal even a single game from the nationally ranked Bears.
 
Into the sixth inning, Kayla Beaver came in to give the Jacksonville State order a different look, mirroring the pitching change by the Gamecocks. Both changes were effective, as the Bears' offense slowed down, and the Gamecocks were held to a single baserunner in each of the final four innings.
 
On top of the order as she had been all series, Beaver diced up the Gamecocks, striking out three batters in the sixth inning, giving up just three hits and a walk across her four innings. The redshirt junior earned her 19^th win of the season after striking out four batters. Offensively, six Bears recorded hits with only three strikeouts across the roster. Since early season tournaments ended in mid-March, Central Arkansas has dropped only three games, winning 21 of their last 24.
 
Next up for the Bears is the final home series of the year. Playing a three-game set against Lipscomb, first pitch is set for Thursday at 6 p.m. The Bears will be honoring one of the best senior classes in recent memory, celebrating the careers and achievements of six seniors.
 
Sunday's win also clinched the No. 1 overall seed for the ASUN Championships in mid-May, since the Bears hold a tiebreaker over Liberty, the only other team within shouting distance of the top of the standings. After claiming the second seed last season, this season's clinch means that the Bears will play their first game on Thursday, May 11^th, getting a two-day bye with the top spot in the tournament.