CONWAY, Ark. – Central Arkansas softball gears up to host the No. 10/12 Arkansas Razorbacks on Tuesday, playing the Hogs for the second time this season. First pitch at Natalie Shock Stadium is set for 5 p.m.
The Bears (20-23, 8-6 ASUN) picked up a series win over Bellarmine over the weekend, taking two of three games from the Knights as Central Arkansas scored 27 runs in the three games. Game one saw the Bears score 19 runs, the most in a game since 2020. The first game at Bellarmine saw a 12-run second inning, an inning in which the lineup recorded ten-straight hits.
Central Arkansas hit .346 against the Knights, racking up 28 hits and drawing 18 walks across three games.
Addie Graham hit .600, one of three Bears to hit at least .500.
Emma Robertson had two bombs, bringing her season total to four home runs in just seven hits. She is now tied for team-lead in homers, and became the ninth Bear to reach double-digit RBI this season after bringing home six this past weekend.
Paityn Engemann threw well over the weekend, picking up her first win of the season in just her third appearance of the year. The sophomore pitcher threw 3.1 scoreless innings across two games, giving up just two hits.
Arkansas (31-9, 10-8 SEC) took two of three from No. 10/11 South Carolina over the weekend, winning game one by run rule before splitting a pair of 5-4 decisions on Saturday and Sunday. The two wins against the Gamecocks marked wins six and seven against top-25 teams, and marked the fourth SEC series win of the year.
Bri Ellis continues to swing a terrific bat, hitting .484 overall with 20 home runs and 60 RBI. She has also drawn 41 walks, giving her a .639 OBP. Her batting average ranks eighth in the nation, her home runs rank second, and she leads the entire country in on base percentage.
Since the start of SEC play, however, it's been Ella McDowell that has been the best bat, hitting .414 in conference. Ellis has been hitting .383, and leads her team with eight homers and 23 RBI. In the circle, the Hogs have relied on the experience of Robyn Herron, who has half of the 120 innings in conference. She holds a 3.12 ERA, throwing five complete games with 65 strikeouts.
First pitch against the Razorbacks is set for 5 p.m. on Tuesday, gates will open at 3 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, and live stats will be available online.
