CONWAY, Ark. – Day one of the Michelle Short/Adam Brown Tournament was a rousing success for the Central Arkansas softball team, as the Bears picked up two wins on Sunday. The Bears started the day with a 10-2 win over SIUE, then capped the day with an 8-0 shutout over South Dakota State.
Game One: Central Arkansas – 10, SIUE – 2
It didn't take long for the Bears to get the offense going at home, putting the bats to work in the first inning.
Kylie Griffin started things off with a triple, and
Addie Graham did the honors and sent her home with a tap to left center. Two walks later, the bases were loaded, and with two outs,
Lilly Hood blasted a double to the wall to clear the bases, helping the Bears jump out 4-0.
The Bears kept going in the second, back at the top of the order.
Renee Christian dropped a bunt and beat the fielding error to first. Four consecutive singles followed her, scoring three to make it 7-0 Bears. The eighth run of the day came in the third. An
Autumn Vessier single was followed by three-straight at bats that moved her all the way around to home to put the Bears in run-rule territory.
SIUE finally scratched a couple across the plate in the top of the fifth, hoping to save the game and keep the innings moving. But Central Arkansas answered in the home half of the inning, putting two on base with a Griffin single and a
Kaitlyn Graham single.
Madi Young did the rest with a double to the wall in right center, and the Bears walked off their first home win of the season. In all, Central Arkansas tallied 15 hits, a season-high.
Julia Petty picked up the win in the circle, tossing all five innings and racking up eight strikeouts on just 89 pitches.
Game Two: Central Arkansas – 8, South Dakota State – 0
Just like game one, Central Arkansas shot out of the gate, scoring runs in the first inning again. Three-straight at bats, a Bear got on first and stole second. The next player came up, put the ball on the ground to put runners on the corners, and steal second.
Addie Graham put home the first run, then
Madi Young sent the second home two batters later.
Lilly Hood added a sac fly for good measure, and Central Arkansas was up 3-0 after one.
The Bears battled through a couple of scoreless innings before getting going again in the fourth. With two outs,
Renee Christian reached on an error, stole second, and made it to third on a wild pitch.
Kylie Griffin knocked a single to center field, and Christian scampered home for a 4-0 lead.
Then, again in the fifth, the Bears put bat to ball with intent; Young punched a double to left center to start the frame on the right track.
Mya January moved a pinch-running
Carmen Uribe to third, and after January stole second, Hood singled through the infield to score Uribe.
LJ Smith put the ball in play on the next at bat, allowing January to score to make it 6-0.
Autumn Vessier wore one on the shoulder to get on base, and promptly stole second. The Bears then took advantage of back-to-back plays in which speed on the basepaths simply allowed the Bears to force SDSU into tricky situations and bad throws, crossing two more runs to claim the win.
Bailie Runner picked up the shutout, scattering four hits in her second win of the year. Through two games, the Bears have tallied 22 hits, jumping 40 points in team batting average on Sunday. The Bears will play two more games on Monday, taking on Oklahoma State and South Dakota State to wrap up the Michelle Short/Adam Brown Tournament. First pitch of the day is set for 12 p.m.
