CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team struggled out of the gates in its ASUN opener against EKU, falling 9-0 on Friday.
 
The Bears fall to 8-17 on the season with the 0-1 start to conference, and largely struggled to build momentum on either side of the ball. The top of the lineup created some opportunities early, but the Bears were unable to keep up with a fast start by EKU.
 
Julia Petty started the game off well, inducing flyouts from three of the first four batters to end the first with no damage done. And offensively, the top of the order started on a roll, with Kylie Griffin and Tremere Harris recording singles and Gracie St. Hilaire loading the bases with a walk. But a strikeout and a popup in shallow right field put an end to what would become the best scoring opportunity for Central Arkansas.
 
The Colonels got their offense going in the second inning, scoring four runs in the frame as the defense struggled to get outs. Kennedy Fisher and Griffin teamed up to catch a runner stealing at third, helping end the inning after the batter at the plate flew out to center.
 
Harris got on board again in the third inning after splitting the wickets of the shortstop, but the Bears already had two outs, so there was little room to work with to advance the senior around the bases. From there, the Colonels would add runs in each of the next three innings, building a 9-0 lead after five innings.
 
Central Arkansas can take solace in the fact that the team only struck out three times, meaning the ball was being put into play. A couple feet here, a couple feet there, and Friday could have been a different ball game if some of those balls in play become base hits.
 
The Bears are back on the field tomorrow, taking on EKU in a doubleheader to close out the series. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Farris Field.