TROY, Ala. – The Central Arkansas softball team did not open its weekend on a good note, falling in both games to start Troy's Cardinal Clash. The Bears opened the day against Radford before dropping the afternoon contest against the hosting Trojans.
Central Arkansas dropped to 3-4 overall with the two results. The Bears tallied only six hits across the two games, including a pair from
Gracie St. Hilaire, who extended her hitting streak to four games in the young season.
Game One: Central Arkansas – 1, Radford – 6
Bailie Runner started the day striking out the side, needing just 12 pitches to get through the first three batters. The Central Arkansas offense then rallied with two outs, the first hit of the day coming off the bat of
Kaitlyn Graham. A fielding error on
Emma Robertson's at bat allowed Graham to score from second, and St. Hilaire and
LJ Smith got on base to load the bags, but with two outs already, a flyout ended the threat and sent the Bears back to defense.
The Highlanders finally broke through in the third inning, scoring four runs to claim the lead. Central Arkansas struggled from that point on, having a tough time getting baserunners back on track to threaten to get back into the game. Robertson got on board in the sixth with a single up the middle, but the Bears saw few chances to really fight back into the game, despite the relatively close margin.
Game Two: Central Arkansas – 0, Troy – 8
The offense saw similar trouble in the second game of the day, with the bats struggling to get into the flow against the Trojans.
Trinity Brandon opened the game with a walk, but the lineup behind her couldn't find a way to move her around the bases. The Bears defense held on for two innings before allowing the first runs of the game in the third, with Troy scoring two to take a small lead in the third.
Gracie St. Hilaire knocked her second hit of the day in the fourth, but similarly to the first inning, the support from the lineup behind her wasn't able to get her past first base. On the other side, the Bears got through a clean fourth inning before the floodgates opened, and Troy was able to score six runs in the fifth to close out the game.
Central Arkansas will be back on the diamond tomorrow for day two of the Cardinal Clash. The Bears will play IU Indy at 9 a.m., then the Trojans again right after.
