LYNCHBURG, Va. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears scored nine consecutive runs Saturday to take down the Liberty Flames 9-3 in their ASUN series finale at Worthington Field.
UCA, trailing 3-0 after three innings, put across nine runs in the fifth through seventh innings, taking advantage of numerous miscues by the Flames, who finished with six errors, three by third baseman Cam Foster. The Bears evened their ASUN record at 6-6 with their first road conference victory of the season.
The Bears got an RBI base hit from
Tanner Leonard, who then moved around and scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning to close the gap to 3-2. UCA then went ahead for good in the sixth with three runs on three hits and a pair of Liberty errors.
UCA used small ball to score three times, with
Reid Bowman's RBI bunt single bringing in pinch runner
Trey Harris to tie it at 3-3. Leonard had an infield single and
Noah Argenta scored on the play on a throwing error before
Drew Sturgeon's sacrifice fly made it a 5-3 lead.
The onslaught continued in the seventh when
Jack McLaughlin's sacrifice bunt resulted in another throwing error that allowed
Kolby Johnson to score. Argenta followed with a sacrifice bunt that brought home
Mason King. Sturgeon knocked in two more with a double to left field for a 9-3 advantage.
Junior lefthander
Dillan Janak came in with on and no outs in the seventh and went the rest of the way, allowing five hits but no runs to earn his second save. UCA starter
Charlie Christensen, a freshman from Olathe, Kan., went five innings for the victory, allowing four hits and two earned runs.
Sturgeon finished with a team-high three RBI, while Bowman and Leonard had two hits each. Argenta scored three times and Leonard twice. The Bears stole seven bases in seven attempts, with Leonard getting three and Bowman a pair.
UCA (14-17) returns home Tuesday, hosting Arkansas-Pine Bluff in non-conference action at 2 p.m. at Bear Stadium. The Bears are back on the road next weekend for an ASUN series at North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.
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