FLORENCE, Ala. – The Central Arkansas softball team built leads in each of its first two games of the ASUN slate against North Alabama, and both times, couldn't hold on through the final, dropping both halves of a double-header Saturday afternoon.
 
The Bears (18-10, 0-2 ASUN) tallied 19 hits on the day, and scored early in both games, but it was late execution that became a stumbling block for Central Arkansas, as both outings saw the home team Lions make comebacks in the final innings.
 
Game 1: Central Arkansas – 5, North Alabama – 6
The fireworks started immediately for the Bears, and the first inning was perhaps the brightest spot of the day. Renee Christian led off with a triple, and scored easily on Addie Graham's follow-up double. Trinity Brandon followed up with a single to move Graham to third, and Emma Robertson walked to load the bases. A few batters later, with two outs, Grace Molitor connected on a grand slam, the second grand slam of the season for Central Arkansas and Molitor's fourth bomb of the season.
 
North Alabama scratched two across in the bottom of the first, but after turning the order around, the Bears were confident in their ability to keep the bats going. Christian led off the second with a walk and a stolen base, but the order behind her couldn't keep her moving. The Lions went three up, three down in the second, but in the third, after Central Arkansas struggled to bring LJ Smith home after a one-out triple, the Lions capitalized on the break and scored two more in the third, cutting the Bear lead to one.
 
The 5-4 lead held on until the sixth, when a sacrifice fly knotted the score. The Bears went to the plate in the top of the seventh, but got nothing, and the Lions found another sacrifice fly to clinch game one.
 
Game 2: Central Arkansas – 5, North Alabama – 7
Central Arkansas didn't have quite the lightning start in game two, but the Bears still scored first. In the second frame, Kaitlyn Graham led off with a double, establishing an early baserunner. Grace Molitor hit a one-out single to put runners on the corners, and the Bears executed a double steal, allowing Molitor to get caught at second, but getting the ball in motion away from the plate to allow Graham to steal home. After a quick half inning from the Lions, the Central Arkansas order went back to the top in the third. Renee Christian bunted to get on base, and the speedy outfielder scored from first on an Emma Robertson double, giving the Bears a 2-0 lead.
 
North Alabama countered in the home half of the third, piecing together several at bats to score three runs to take the lead from the Bears. The 3-2 score held for quite some time as the innings dragged on, and the Bears entered the seventh inning still trailing by one.
 
Autumn Vessier tagged a single to start the final inning of regulation, and Addie Graham added a hit to put runners on the corners. Graham stole second to put both runners in scoring position, and a sacrifice fly by Trinity Brandon tied the game at 3-3. Robertson connected on another hit, and Graham was able to score from second, giving Central Arkansas a 4-3 lead. Unfortunately, the Lions moved a runner around in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game, and the Bears went to extras.
 
In the eighth, fortune seemed to smile on the Bears early in the inning, as Lilly Hood reached on an infield throwing error. The senior hustled around the bases on a Christian double to right center, and just like that, the Bears had the lead again. But North Alabama came through late again, hitting a pair of homers in the bottom of the eighth to walk away with game two.
 
The Bears and Lions will play game three tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Florence.