CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team opened up the Milias Moore & Shane Lamb Memorial Tournament with a pair of wins Friday afternoon, defeating both Chattanooga and ULM to get a great start to the weekend.
The two wins improved the Bears to 15-8 overall this season, and took two completely different efforts to get the job done.
Game One: Central Arkansas – 12, Chattanooga – 4
The first inning went without much issue; the Mocs went three up, three down, and Central Arkansas put a pair on base, but couldn't convert. In the second, UTC opened the scoring after putting a runner on and moving her around with a couple of plate appearances, and the Mocs started the scoring with a 1-0 lead.
Central Arkansas responded in the home half of the inning. With two outs,
Lilly Hood doubled down the left line, getting a runner in scoring position.
Autumn Vessier sent her home quickly, matching her with a double of her own to tie the game.
Renee Christian smacked one to right field, sending Vessier home to take the lead and get the order turned around. The Mocs answered immediately in the top of the third, however, scoring three on a pair of two-out doubles of their own.
But the Bears weren't going down without a fight. In the fourth inning, Christian led off with a single and a steal. But the speed on the basepaths was made irrelevant, because
Addie Graham stepped to the plate and demolished a home run to right center, evening the score once more at 4-4.
Trinity Brandon and
Emma Robertson followed the homer up with base hits of their own, getting back in scoring position to continue the threat. After a pitching change,
LJ Smith drove in Brandon on a groundout, and
Kaitlyn Graham hit an inside the park home run, capitalizing on some defensive confusing after the ball skated over the fair/foul line, ultimately staying in. By the time the defense realized and reacted, the damage was done, and Graham was able to score on the play, giving the home team a three-run lead.
The Bears wrapped it up in the fifth, with Vessier and the top of the lineup putting together three singles to load the bases. With just one out, Robertson stepped up to the plate and delivered a back-breaker, hitting a grand slam to take the lead from three to seven. Smith nearly ended the game on the next at bat, delivering a triple that made it easy for Graham to finish off, driving in the final run of the run-rule game.
The 17 hits were the most in a single game this season, while
Lucy Crowder picked up the win in her first appearance of the season in the circle.
Game Two: Central Arkansas – 4, ULM – 2
Game two of the day saw a little bit more drama than the opener. Neither side scored in the first two innings, helping build a little bit of the anticipation as batters stepped up and sat down. Finally, in the bottom of the third, Central Arkansas was able to make a move.
Renee Christian reached on an error, and advanced to third on a base hit by
Trinity Brandon, who also found herself in scoring position. Then, with two outs,
LJ Smith came through in a big way, hitting one to left field that allowed both baserunners to score.
Kaitlyn Graham sent Smith home on the next at bat, doubling to left center to help the Bears jump out 3-0.
Lilly Hood got on base in the fourth, and circled the diamond on a sacrifice bunt and a single to add to the lead, making it a four-run game. The shutout bid ended in the sixth, as the Warhawks pieced together a few at bats to get a run through. ULM threatened mightily in the seventh, combining a defensive miscue with a double to score a second run, and a walk put the tying run on base with two outs. But
Bailie Runner stared down the final out and struck out the final batter, picking up her sixth win of the season.
The Bears have moved Saturday's schedule to Sunday, and now, the neutral game between the Mocs and Warhawks will be at 10 a.m., and Central Arkansas will face Chattanooga at 12:30, followed by ULM at 3 p.m.
