Baseball / Softball
UCA has late shot against No. 2 Hogs, but fall just short
Nick Harlan disappointed with loss, but played well have bases loaded in ninth, but can’t push across runs late.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Central Arkansas had a shot in the ninth inning against Arkansas on Tuesday afternoon. The Bears really couldn’t have been in much better of a position, loading the bases trailing 9-7, bt they couldn’t get that that last hit.
The result of that was a 9-7 loss to the second-ranked Razorbacks in a game that was put a ninth-inning scare in the second-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks on Tuesday before falling 9-7 at Baum-Walker Stadium.
It played out about like Hogs’ coach Dave Van Horn said later wasn’t particularly surprising to him and gave UCA coach Nick Harlan a disappointing hope for the future after another loss to an SEC team on the road. They had a couple of close games against LSU in Baton Rouge a couple of weeks ago.
“Thought it’d be wild, it’d be tight,” Van Horn said. “They’ve played some good teams this year and they’ve played a lot of people close. You know they jumped out on us.”
The Bears (7-7) fought back from a 7-2 deficit after three innings, primarily after a grand slam homer from Wehiwa Aloy and a three-run homer from Ben McLaughlin that wiped out an early 2-0 UCA lead.
Nick Harlan (Andy Hodges / allBEARS+)
“As a competitor, you hate to lose,” Bears coach Nick Harlan said alter. “Disappointed we gave up that one big inning. But as a whole, I thought we were ready to play and our approach was really good. I was really pleased (with the comeback). That’s what these guys do.
“There’s no panic and they’re not going to play the scoreboard. They’re just going to try to play the game the right way every pitch. I was really proud of that effort.”
The Bears jumped out to a 2-0 lead after three innings. Three consecutive singles in the second by Drew Sturgeon, Preston Curtis and Bryce Cermenelli put UCA up 1-0 in the second. In the third, back-to-back hit batters in A.J. Mendolia and Zeb Allen, followed by an RBI base hit up the middle by Jagger Schattle, pushed the lead to 2-0.
The Razorbacks took advantage of an error and two walks, followed by a grand slam by Wehiwa Aloy, put the Bears behind in the bottom of the third. Two more walks and another home run, this one by first baseman Ben McLaughlin, made it 7-2.
“Seven out of the eight innings we pitched really well,” said Harlan. “I thought it was unfortunate that we gave up some free bases and they were able to get off some good swings and get into some good counts to create that big inning.
Bryce Parlin (Andy Hodges / allBEARS+)
“Outside of that, (Bentonville native) Bryce (Parlin) did a great job coming home and handling the magnitude of that moment. Pitching well, aggressive in the zone. Gavin (Alveti), outside of the first couple of hitters, threw really well, kept the ball down and got a lot of ground balls. We needed Hunter (Alexander) to come in and give us a strikeout and he did, but the ball just trickled away a little bit.”
The Bears answered in a big way in the top of the fifth. Schattle, Sturgeon, Preston Curtis and Cermenelli had consecutive RBIs to close the deficit to 7-6. A.J. Mendolia led off with a walk before Zeb Allen lined out to left field. Catch Casey Shipley, from nearby Farmington, was hit in the face by a pitch to put two runners on.
Schattle then singled in Mendolia, and Sturgeon followed with an RBI double to center. Curtis had a sacrifice fly to bring in Schattle and Cermenelli’s base hit brought in Sturgeon with the fourth run.
UCA reliever Gavin Alveti induced a double play to end Arkansas’ fifth, then got the Razorbacks in order in the sixth.
“Offensively, I was very pleased,” said Harlan. “Very disciplined at-bats, we didn’t chase outside of the zone. We created opportunities in multiple innings. We had a couple of timely hits. We were one big hit away from taking the lead in the ninth inning.”
Arkansas got two more runs in the eighth on three hits to go up 9-6. But the Bears went to work against Arkansas right hander Gabe Gaeckle. Hayden Seldomridge, who replaced Shipley behind the plate, had his first hit of the season, a single up the middle, to start the rally. Schattle followed that with another before a second out.
Left fielder Kade Seldomridge drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Cermenelli walked for his third RBI of the day but Gaeckle got a strikeout to end it.
Schattle, a junior designated hitter from Richardson, Texas, finished 3 for 5 with 2 RBI. Ceremenelli was 2 for 4 with 3 RBI, while Sturgeon was 2 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored. UCA out-hit Arkansas 9-7.
The Bears return home for non-conference series with Missouri State beginning at 6 p.m. Friday at Bear Stadium.
Information from UCASports.com is included in this story.
KENNESAW, Ga. – Sunday’s series finale against Kennesaw State featured a similar script for Central Arkansas.
The Bears jumped out to an early 1-0, but lost that lead in the bottom of the second inning and never regained the lead, falling 11-1 to Kennesaw State in the Bears’ ASUN finale.
The game started just like the previous two days, with the Bears taking an early lead. This time, Central Arkansas established its first baserunner when Kade Seldomridge got on board on an error, reaching second base before the Owls were able to get the ball in. The sophomore would move bases on consecutive flyouts, going home on a sacrifice fly by A.J. Mendolia. It was the 20th RBI of the season and the 12th in ASUN games for Mendolia, and tied him with Drew Sturgeon for team-lead in conference contests.
But the Owls took the lead back in the home half of the second, using a home run and a sacrifice fly to take a 2-1 lead after two. And while the Bears would struggle to get much offense going after that, they did still put runners on in each of the first five innings. Kennesaw State, on the other hand, scored in each of the first five innings, with the exception of the first.
Hunter Alexander struck out five batters over a season-high 3.2 innings, reaching a handful of strikeouts for the second time this season. Alexander now has 35 Ks in 23.0 innings of work this season.
Central Arkansas returns home for its next game, a midweek against Little Rock on Tuesday. Facing the Trojans as part of the Governor’s I-40 Showdown, first pitch at The Bear is set for 6 p.m.
CONWAY, Ark. – Central Arkansas began Sunday looking to win its three-game series against North Alabama, but those hopes didn’t turn into reality.
North Alabama defeated the Bears 3-1 to secure the conference series victory and conclude the Bears’ ASUN regular season play.
The Bears (17-24, 8-7 ASUN) fell behind early and couldn’t quite pick up the runs necessary to overcome the deficit, despite outhitting the Lions. North Alabama took advantage of a couple of early baserunners in the first inning, hitting an RBI double and a sacrifice fly to take an early 2-0 lead. Central Arkansas responded in the bottom of the frame, with Kylie Griffin circling the bases on a single, a stolen base and a groundout. Tremere Harris brought her home on a sacrifice bunt, putting Central Arkansas in the scoring column.
Both teams struggled to get runners on base over the middle innings of the game, but the home team was able to put at least one runner on in each inning except for the fifth. Yet offense was largely nonexistent, as both pitchers kept hitters guessing. Julia Petty struck out four batters and scattered five hits across her seven innings. But in the seventh, back-to-back extra base hits allowed the Lions to tack on one more run, putting the Bears back two.
Central Arkansas now hits the road for two weeks, playing ASUN series in Nashville against Lipscomb and at Kennesaw State the weekend after. First pitch against the Bison is on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Baseball / Softball
UCA splits Saturday doubleheader against North Alabama
Bears get bats heated up in second game of doubleheader to get split against North Alabama on Saturday.
CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas’s offense couldn’t muster much in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader against North Alabama, losing 2-1. But the Bears’ offense came to life in the second game and UCA’s Julia Petty didn’t allow any hits in an 8-0 victory.
Game One: UCA 1, North Alabama 2
The UCA bats struggled to get going early in the first game, as the first couple of innings passed with only a single baserunner. Meanwhile, the Lions put through the first run in the second frame, using a pair of doubles to notch the opening score. A hit batter would advance to second on a wild pitch and score on a double in the third, putting the Bears back 2-0 headed into the fourth.
As the sixth inning came around, the outs were getting thin for the Bears, who still trailed by two. Renee Christian gave the home team some life with two outs, punching a single just over the shortstop’s head to establish herself on base. After stealing second, a single by Tremere Harris moved the speedy freshman to third base. Lilly Hood followed up Harris with a single of her own, scoring Christian to put the Bears on the board.
But the Bears couldn’t capture that elusive equalizer, as the final four batters were retired in order to drop game one.
Game Two: UCA 8, North Alabama 0
Julia Petty started game two of the series, and opened the game with seven-straight batters getting retired. Petty continued to deal while the Bears figured out how to get the bats going, as both pitchers were near perfect through three innings.
UCA finally started seeing the ball better in the fourth. Harris started things off with a single, and was replaced on a fielder’s choice by Hood. A couple batters later, Gracie St. Hilaire sent Hood to second with a single. Eric Michael drilled one up the middle, and a diving shortstop sent the ball off course into no-man’s land, allowing Hood to score on the play. Michael stole second, and interference at the plate kept St. Hilaire’s run on the board, as the Bears struck first to go up two.
Petty struck out the side to send the Lions back to the field, only getting to a 2-2 count on one batter during the frame. Kylie Griffin started the home half with a terrific bunt single to get on board, and the Bears were rolling. Christian singled through the right side, and a misplay by the second baseman sent the ball almost to foul territory, allowing Griffin to score from first base. After a pitching change, the Bears took three-straight walks, scoring Christian to make it a four-run lead with the bases still loaded.
The Lions reentered their starting pitcher, who gave up a bases-clearing triple to St. Hilaire, who sent a ball to the wall in right center to stretch the lead even further. Michael capped the game with a first-pitch single past the left side of the infield, scoring St. Hilaire for the run rule win. In addition to the offensive explosion, the Bears pulled something off that had yet to happen in North Alabama’s Division I history. For the first time, the Lions were no-hit, as Petty was a walk away from a perfect game. The no-no is the first by a Bear since Jordan Johnson kept Bellarmine hitless on April 16, 2023.
The Bears and Lions play the rubber match on Sunday, facing off for the series at 1 p.m. at Farris Field.
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