CONWAY, Ark. – Back in action for another ASUN series, the Central Arkansas softball team is home at Farris Field for Alumni Weekend as it takes on the North Alabama Lions. Playing a three-game series, first pitch against the Lions is game one of a Saturday doubleheader at 3 p.m., followed by a Sunday start time of 1 p.m.
The Bears (16-22, 7-5 ASUN) last played softball last weekend, after canceling a midweek against Memphis. Last weekend's series was against Queens, where Central Arkansas took two of three on the road in Charlotte. Games one and two went the Bears' way, thanks to solid efforts from the pitching staff and defense. Queens was held to seven total hits across the first two games, compared to 13 by the Bears.
Renee Christian and
Tremere Harris had hits in all three games, and
Morgan Nelson hit her team-best fifth home run of the season in game three.
Central Arkansas has generated some good numbers since the start of conference play, with Harris leading the charge at the plate. Batting near the top of the order, the senior is hitting .405 against conference opponents, and has 15 hits and eight walks through 12 games. Her .511 on base percentage is fourth in the conference, to go along with the fourth-most walks and the seventh-best average. She's led the Bears to the second-best batting average among all ASUN teams in conference games, with the lineup producing a .277 batting average in league games.
Last year, the Bears won four of the six meetings with the Lions, taking two of three in the regular season, dropping game one of the ASUN Championships, and then defeating North Alabama twice on Championship Day to claim the title. But most games were competitive; there were zero run-rule decisions, each team tossed one shutout, and the only consecutive wins were the two that gave the Bears the ASUN Title.
North Alabama (26-13, 7-5 ASUN) also canceled its midweek this week, and last played a conference series against FGCU at home. After dropping games one and two last Saturday, the Lions recovered to take the third game, winning 5-0 to close the series. Alivia Wilken tossed the complete game shutout, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out nine. The offense, meanwhile, scored two runs in both the first and fourth innings, then capped it with a fifth run in the fifth.
Felicity Frame leads the team at the plate, hitting .403 for the season. A speedster, Frame has 46 singles this season, pairing them with nine stolen bases and 11 walks. But the Lions do their best work in the circle, where the pitching staff holds a 2.92 ERA. Wilken, for her part, leads the team with a 1.88 ERA, with 91 strikeouts to just 18 walks. She leads the team with 12 wins this season, including seven shutouts.
First pitch against the Lions is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday, the first game of a doubleheader. Sunday's game starts at 1 p.m. All three games will be on ESPN+, with live stats available online.
