CONWAY, Ark. – Central Arkansas softball returns to Farris Field on Wednesday, playing Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 5 p.m. The midweek marks the 46
th meeting in the series history, and comes after both teams picked up conference series wins over the weekend.
The Bears (13-21) enter the week after sweeping Stetson over the weekend. Central Arkansas outscored the Hatters 24-8, hitting .367 for the series. Four Bears hit over .500 on the weekend, with
Colleen Bare (.600),
Lilly Hood (.556),
Tremere Harris (.556) and
Morgan Nelson (.500) all reaching the mark. The four combined for 17 hits, five extra base hits, and 14 RBI.
Hood and Harris both raised their averages over .300 on the year, with Hood extending her hitting streak to eight games. The sophomore also has at least one RBI in six of her last seven games, and ranks second on the team with 19 runs driven in. Harris, for her season, became the second Bear with 30 hits this season, and is now hitting .306 this season.
Central Arkansas last played Pine Bluff in 2022, facing the Golden Lions three times during that year. The Bears took all three matchups, outscoring Pine Bluff 35-0 in 15.0 innings.
The Golden Lions enter the week 14-13 overall, with a 5-3 start to their SWAC schedule. This past weekend, Pine Bluff took a series against Grambling State, winning two of three games. After winning game one 4-1, the Golden Lions slipped up in game two, falling 7-1, but rebounded in the rubber match 3-0 to win the series.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff are led at the plate by Amari Broughton, who leads the team in several offensive categories. Boasting a .411 average, Broughton leads her squad with 30 hits, six doubles and two home runs, also driving in a team-high 21 runs. Jada Carhee has incredible speed around the bases, tallying five doubles, three triples and a team-best 10 stolen bases this season.
In the circle, Kayla Adams has been dominant this season, holding a 0.95 ERA with 141 strikeouts to just eight walks. The freshman pitcher leads all of Division I with her K/BB ratio, striking out 18 batters for every walk so far this season.
First pitch against Pine Bluff is set for 5 p.m. at Farris Field, and will be streamed on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available online.
