CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team opens ASUN play this weekend, hitting the road for a three-game series against EKU on Friday and Saturday. Game times against the Colonels have moved, with the doubleheader getting moved to Friday at 3 p.m. CT, and a noon CT game time on Saturday.
 
The Bears (11-14) have won their last three games, winning by a combined 20-2. The bats were good, as Central Arkansas racked up 27 hits, and the pitching was better, giving up just five hits per game and allowing one or fewer runs in all three games.
 
Addie Graham is back on a hitting streak, up to five games after going 2-for-3 against SEMO. The freshman centerfielder is batting .470 in the recent streak, with multiple hits in three of the five games. Madge Layfield, also a freshman, got her third win in the circle against the Redhawks, scattering five hits across five innings on her way to a 3-1 record. Lucy Crowder also got into the win column, tossing a shutout over Illinois State to close the weekend.
 
EKU (17-6) enters the week with a nine-game home winning streak, perfect at Gertrude Hood Field. With wins over programs like UIC, Indiana State and Purdue Fort Wayne, the Colonels have recorded three home shutouts and have not allowed more than five runs in a single home game.
 
Much of the Colonels' success is in large part because of sophomore Maddi Rutan. A two-way player, she leads EKU in hitting percentage (.429), hits (27) and home runs (7), as well as wins in the circle (7), and strikeouts (99). She has three games this season of double-digit strikeouts, with a season-high 14 against Indiana State.
 
Friday's doubleheader is set for a 3 p.m. CT start, then Saturday first pitch is at noon CT. Friday's games will be streamed on ESPN+, and all games will have live stats available.