RICHMOND, Ky. – The Central Arkansas softball team went 1-1-1 at EKU this weekend, closing the series with a win to start the day and a tie to close the series due to a drop-dead time. The Bears scored 13 runs on the day, notching eight in the first game of the day and closing the series with five in game two.
The Bears moved to 29-17-1 overall and 11-5-1 in ASUN games. Sunday's tie marks just the second even score in program history, and Central Arkansas finishes the regular season series 3-1-1 against EKU.
Game One: Central Arkansas 8, EKU – 6
The first game of the day started all EKU, and the home team opened up with a second inning homer to take an early lead. The Bears, meanwhile, had baserunners early in the game, including bases loaded in the second, but couldn't find that final hit to score runs, staying scoreless over the first few innings.
Addie Graham tied the game with an RBI single in the fourth inning, getting the Bears on the board for the first time. But EKU answered in a big way in the bottom of the fourth, scoring five runs in the home half of the frame to take a big lead.
The Bears had to start chipping away at the lead, and got to work on that in the fifth. Back-to-back walks to start the inning forced a pitching change, and
Kaitlyn Graham singled to second a runner home.
LJ Smith followed that up with a double, keeping runners in scoring position while driving in another run.
The momentum continued in the sixth, with
Renee Christian leading off with a first-pitch single.
Trinity Brandon notched a single of her own a couple of batters later, and
Emma Robertson walked to load the bases. Graham continued to move the ball, slicing one through the right side of the infield to score two runs, cutting the lead to one run. Despite runners still on base, the Bears couldn't tie the game in the sixth, setting up a tense seventh inning.
An error allowed Christian to reach safely with one out, setting the table with a lightning fast runner to try to create some havoc. Brandon found a single to move Christian into scoring position, and with two outs, every pitch carried a ton of weight. Until they didn't, because
Emma Robertson demolished a 1-2 pitch and sent it over the wall in center, giving Central Arkansas a two-run lead. But even still, EKU wasn't done, and had three outs to play with. The Bears retired the first two batters quickly, looking to slam the door shut on a potential answer. But the Colonels found a single, and then another one. A walk loaded the bases, putting the whole stadium on the edge of its seat, but the final batter dribbled one to
Jaleigh White, and he freshman lobbed it over to first base for the final out.
White picked up the win in the circle, seeing her first action in six weeks after returning from injury. It also marked the first win in ASUN play for the freshman, who now has four wins on the season. The top five batters did work in game two of the series, combining for nine of the ten Bear hits, including multi-hit games from
Addie Graham, Brandon and
Kaitlyn Graham.
Game Two: Central Arkansas – 5, EKU – 5
Addie Graham wasted no time getting the scoring started in the final game of the series, hitting her fifth homer of the season in the first inning, giving the Bears a quick lead. Her run represented the only score for the first three innings, as neither offense burst out of the gates.
Central Arkansas added a pair of runs in the fourth inning, opening the inning with a
Kaitlyn Graham single.
LJ Smith followed that up with a double, putting both runners in scoring position.
Sydney Kildow came in to pinch run for Graham, and
Lilly Hood drove in both runners with a sharply hit single through the 5-6 hole, giving Central Arkansas a 3-0 lead. EKU scored one in the bottom of the frame, getting on the board and keeping the lead at two runs.
Neither side put up runs in either the fifth or the sixth innings, sending the teams to the seventh with about 25 minutes before the drop-dead time. Graham started the Bears at bats with a double to right center. Two batters later,
Emma Robertson again homered in the seventh inning of a game against EKU, launching a no-doubter over the roof of the hitting facility beyond centerfield, moving the Bears up 5-1. But EKU continued fighting, muscling four runs across the plate to tie the game. And with the score tied before the change of the inning, the Bears and Colonels tied the final game of the series.
Central Arkansas is back at home for the final two series of the year, starting next Saturday against North Alabama. Celebrating Alumni Weekend, the Bears will play a double header on Saturday at 1 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m. series finale on Sunday.
