CONWAY, Ark. – The softball Bears split a pair of games in the Adam Brown Memorial Shamrock Classic on Saturday, falling to Chattanooga in the first game before overcoming all kinds of adversity to defeat Saint Francis in extra innings to end the day.
 
The split moves Central Arkansas to 5-12 on the season, as the offense piled up 17 hits across the 15 innings. Renee Christian was dynamite at the plate all day, going 5-of-9 at the plate and scoring four runs.
 
Game One: Chattanooga – 5, Central Arkansas – 4
Kassie Rhodes got her first start in game one, and after allowing two baserunners, got a big strikeout to end the inning without giving up any damage. The offense got right to work in the home half of the frame: with two outs, Tremere Harris got on base with a sharply cracked single. Morgan Nelson drove her home on the next at bat, doubling to left center to put the Bears out in front.
 
A home run by the Mocs tied the game in the second inning, but that would be all the offense from Chattanooga in the second. The Mocs would get the bats going in the third, however, scoring three more runs to take a 4-1 lead.
 
A prolonged bottom of the third got the Bears right back into it. Christian singled to get aboard, and moved to second on a Kylie Griffin single. The pair moved into scoring position on a groundout, and a wild pitch moved the duo further, scoring Christian. Two walks later, the bases were loaded, and a third-straight walk for Gracie St. Hilaire scored another run. Lilly Hood showed that she can be patient at the dish, walking home a third run in the inning to tie the game.
 
Central Arkansas would hold on until the fifth inning before letting a Moc run through to reclaim the lead. The Bears would put two more runners on before the end of the game, but were unable to tie the game again in the seventh.
 
Game Two (8 innings): Central Arkansas – 11, Saint Francis – 10
Playing Saint Francis for the first time this weekend, Central Arkansas gave up the first run of the game on a wild pitch, falling behind early. But the Bears would strike right back, capitalizing on a throwing error to send Christian home to tie the game. Two walks would load the bases, and Erin Michael walked to send Griffin on home to give Central Arkansas the lead.
 
The Red Flash put up a big second inning, scoring five runs to take a commanding 6-2 lead through an inning and a half. The Bears went three up, three down in the home half of the inning, and momentum was squarely with the road team. Saint Francis added a seventh run in the fourth, boosting its lead to five runs.
 
Central Arkansas waited until the bottom of the sixth to make headway into the lead, opening the inning with a Morgan Nelson single. Tallulah Pascucci pinch-ran for her, moving to second on a walk and stealing third shortly after. A groundout scored a run for the Bears, and Michael singled to score another.
 
The Bears finished the comeback to force extras in the seventh, again leading off with a single, this one by Christian. Griffin hit again to move Christian into scoring position. A booming double from Nelson scored both speedsters in front of her. With two outs, a fielding error on the Red Flash allowed Colleen Bare to reach safely, but more importantly, Nelson was able to score from second to tie the game.
 
Saint Francis would open the eighth with three runs, capitalizing on a pair of errors from the Bears to open the scoring back up to 10.
 
Down to their final three outs, the Bears showed a fight that hasn't been commonplace yet this season. With Michael placed on second for the international tiebreaker, Sadie Saul smacked one down the right line, scoring Michael and firing up the home dugout. Madison Connolly-Hojas singled for her first-career hit, turning the lineup back to the top and moving a runner into scoring position. Christian singled to load the bases, and a fielder's choice kept them loaded with one out. A single from Tremere Harris scored a pair of runs, tying the game once again. Nelson grounded out to second on the final at bat of the game, but Griffin sprinted through home plate to claim the win for the Bears.
 
Central Arkansas has one more game this weekend, facing Saint Francis one more time on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on Farris Field.