CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team started the weekend on a great note, taking both halves of a doubleheader with Eastern Kentucky Friday afternoon. The Bears captured both wins in close games, winning game one 5-3 before taking game two 3-2.
Central Arkansas improved to 25-15 on the year with a 7-4 ASUN record after the pair of wins. It marks the third-straight series win for the Bears, and puts the Bears in a tie for second in the ASUN Gold Division with EKU.
Bailie Runner and
Emory Bowlin picked up wins in the circle, including Bowlin's first ASUN win as a Bear.
Game One: Central Arkansas – 5, Eastern Kentucky – 3
The first game of the day started all Central Arkansas.
Bailie Runner struck out her first two batters of the day to set the tone, and the offense followed her lead in the bottom of the first.
Renee Christian started things off with a walk and a steal, getting into scoring position in a hurry.
Addie Graham moved her over to third with a single, and Central Arkansas got on the scoreboard with a double steal.
Trinity Brandon followed that up with her seventh homer of the season, exploding off the bat to make it a 3-0 lead and forcing a pitcher change just 13 pitches in.
Kaitlyn Graham got on base a couple of batters later on a fielder's choice, and
Lilly Hood's double put Graham on third base, just 60 feet from scoring a fourth run.
LJ Smith put a ball in play to move the runners, and Graham crossed home to make it a grand slam's lead for the Bears.
The Bears continued to move the ball around in the second with the order back at the top. Renee walked and stole second again, and a wild pitch moved her to third. Brandon hit her 15
th double of the season to score her teammate, and the lead was five.
EKU was held scoreless until the seventh inning, when the top of the Colonel order scored three runs to seriously threaten the Bears' win. But with a runner on and nobody out, the Bears got a pop-up, a fielder's choice, and a big-time strikeout from Runner to end the game and take the first outing of the day.
Game Two: Central Arkansas – 3, Eastern Kentucky – 2
This game, the offense started slow for the Bears;
Addie Graham walked to reach base for the 33
rd game in a row, but otherwise, the first couple of innings went without much for Central Arkansas. On the other side, Eastern Kentucky combined a few at bats in the third inning to plate the first run of the game, taking an early 1-0 lead. The Bears nearly answered in the home half of the inning, moving a runner to third base, but couldn't score the tying run.
EKU scored again in the top of the fifth inning, doubling its lead with a sacrifice fly to take a two-run lead deep into the ballgame. But this time, the Bears answered the bell in the bottom of the inning.
Autumn Vessier jumpstarted an offense that had not performed terrifically through the first four innings, punching a single past the 5-6 hole to start the frame.
Renee Christian made it back-to-back singles, and the pair moved 60 feet forward on a wild pitch. Graham walked to load the bases, and with two outs,
Kaitlyn Graham came through with a single up the middle, scoring two runs to tie the game.
The Bears capitalized on the newfound life in the bottom of the sixth, with
LJ Smith opening the inning with a single to center.
Grace Molitor bunted to get on base and move Smith to second, and a Vessier sacrifice bunt moved the runners forward. Christian was intentionally walked to load the bases and provide a potential double play opportunity, but with so much speed on the bases, an infield ball only allowed the Colonels to retire one runner, and the game-winning score crossed with
Jade Carnahan's spikes hitting the rubber. Central Arkansas retired the Colonels in order in the seventh to claim the series, giving the Bears a series win over EKU for the first time since 2022.
Central Arkansas and Eastern Kentucky have one more game on the schedule, currently set for 12 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
