CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas (13-13, 3-4) fell to Austin Peay (13-13, 4-3) with a final score of 4–1 on Friday night at Bear Stadium.

Central Arkansas managed only two hits and committed two errors in the loss.

Austin Peay took an early lead in the first inning when a throwing error allowed a run to score, putting them up 1–0. Central Arkansas responded in the second inning, as Zeb Allen was hit by pitch and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Keaton Laidley, tying the game at 1–1. The Governors reclaimed the lead in the same inning with a double by Pridgen, making it 2–1 through two innings.

In the fourth inning, Austin Peay extended its lead with a sacrifice fly that scored a run, followed by a solo home run by Taylor, bringing the score to 4–1. The Bears were unable to produce any further runs despite a double by Jack Runsick in the bottom half of the fourth.

The rest of the game saw strong pitching performances, with Central Arkansas holding Austin Peay scoreless from the fifth inning onward and Jake Jones striking out three batters in the seventh.

Patrick Fernandez pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing six hits and four runs, three of which were earned, while striking out four and walking five. Silas Cowgill provided 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, yielding no hits, striking out two, and issuing two walks. Jones closed with three strong innings, giving up just one hit and no runs, while striking out five batters without a walk.

Zeb Allen  
- 1 run  
- 1 hit by pitch  

Jack Runsick  
- 1 hit  
- 1 double  

Schattle Jagger  
- 1 hit  
- 1 double  
- 1 walk  

Silas Cowgill  
- 2 1/3 innings pitched  
- 0 hits  
- 2 strikeouts  

Jake Jones  
- 3 innings pitched  
- 1 hit  
- 5 strikeouts  

Looking ahead, Central Arkansas will host the Governors in Game 2 of this series at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 28 at Bear Stadium.