CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Central Arkansas softball team picked up a quality, hard-fought win over Austin Peay to start the final road series of the season. The Bears played well on both sides of the ball, picking up nine hits while allowing only four.
 
The win improved Central Arkansas to 24-24 overall and 12-6 in ASUN games, and 3-1 against Austin Peay this season. The top of the lineup provided seven of the team's nine hits, but only scored one of the four runs.
 
Austin Peay scored the first run of the day in the bottom of the first, finding three-straight singles to send a run through. It would take the Bears a couple of innings to find an offensive footing, but Kylie Griffin got the offense going in the third. Laying down a bunt, she made it to first, and moved to second and then third on the next two plate appearances. Kaitlyn Graham singled through the three-four hole to score Griffin.
 
The Bears took the lead in the fourth, starting with a two-out walk by LJ Smith. Autumn Vessier single to right field to move Smith into scoring position, and a double by Griffin scored both runners. The game got slightly tense as Griffin tried to stretch the double to third, as a collision with the third baseman fired the Central Arkansas dugout up.
 
From that point, the Central Arkansas defense and Bailie Runner shut things down. The half inning after the collision took the Bears only eight pitches to end, and from that point on, the Govs only had one baserunner the rest of the game. Emma Robertson added to the lead in the top of the sixth, demolishing a pitch to right center to make it a 4-1 lead.
 
The Bears and Governors have two more games this weekend, playing tomorrow and Sunday at 1 p.m.