CONWAY, Ark. – The Bears started and finished Thursday's game with unlimited power, as the No. 23 Central Arkansas softball team bashed two grand slams to run rule Lipscomb in game one of the team's final ASUN regular season series. Mary Kate Brown opened the first with a 4-RBI bomb, and Morgan Nelson opened a deli on the berm after walking off the Bisons with a second grand salami in the fifth, propelling the Bears to a 12-1 win.
 
Central Arkansas (37-9, 20-2 ASUN) broke a school record with its 37^th regular season win, eclipsing the mark set in 2013. With two more games in the series, the possibility still remains that the Bears break the full season mark of 38 games before the weekend is over.
 
It took the lineup no time at all to get things going, as Tremere Harris, Kylie Griffin and Madi Young all singled to get on board. The trio all bumped their batting averages on Thursday, now each hitting at least .333, with Harris up at .443. Up came Brown, who fell down 0-2 quickly before squaring up and drilling one over the right field fence for her third home run of the season.
 
Lipscomb answered with a single, unearned run in the top half of the second, taking advantage of a fielding error by the Bears to sneak home a run from first. But Jordan Johnson slammed the door before any more damage could be done, striking out the next batter for the third out.
 
Having batted all the way around the order in the first, Harris started the second with a double down the left line, one of five doubles by the Bears on Thursday. Griffin walked, and Young moved both runners into scoring position. Nelson, already with a double to her name from the first inning, punched another one, throwing the defense for a loop as the ball careened off of third base to allow both runners to score.
 
A scoreless third inning continued to move the lineup, putting Brown back at the plate to start the fourth. The redshirt junior planted a single to shallow right center, and was moved to second by a Nelson single up the middle. Colleen Bare put down a terrific sacrifice bunt to advance both runners to scoring position, and Morgan Curley came through with her at bat, bashing a double of her own to center field, scoring two runs to stretch the lead to seven.
 
The defense continued to mow down the Bisons lineup, allowing just a single baserunner in the top of the fifth inning. Back to the top of the lineup for the Bears, Harris opened things with a walk, with everyone understanding that Central Arkansas needed just one run to close out the game in run rule fashion. Young punched a single to left center, and Harris, who easily made it to third, thought about taking off for home, but held up after a quality throw from the centerfielder. Brown took a five-pitch walk, loading the bases for Nelson. With a 1-1 count, Nelson planted and absolutely demolished her third pitch, launching the second grand slam of the day to the scoreboard to end the game.
 
It marked the second time in two seasons that Nelson has run-ruled Lipscomb with a grand slam at home. Her home runs mirrored one another: the same field, the same opponent, two of the same umpires, two of the same runners (Tremere and Mary Kate), both in sub-two hour games, the list of coincidences goes on and on for these grand slams. Nelson finished the game with six RBI, tying a personal best. She became the third Bear in program history to record multiple games of six RBI.
 
Friday's doubleheader will be preceded by Senior Day, celebrating the accomplishments of six seniors before the 4 p.m. twin bill. Mary Kate Brown, Jenna Wildeman, Jordan Johnson, Morgan Curley, Kayla Beaver and Jaylee Engelkes will all be honored for their commitment to this program, to lifting it to heights never seen before by Bears.