UCA splits doubleheader with Bellarmine in huge offensive night

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Central Arkansas had about as two-sided a day as a team can have on the field, cruising to a game one win with a historic offense, before falling in a low-scoring game two against Bellarmine.

The Bears tallied 20 runs and 18 hits across the two games, but went 1-1 after being unable to get close to replicating a ginormous game one statline.

Kylie Griffin went 3-for-5 at the plate with three walks, and Addie Graham is hitting .500 in the series after two games. Paityn Engemann picked up her first win in the circle in game one, tossing 2.1 innings of scoreless relief.

Game One: UCA 19, Bellarmine 5

Despite what the final score says, the first inning gave zero indication of the offense that was to come; both teams went three-up, three-down to start the game.

But the second inning started with one of the greatest hitting streaks the program has ever seen. For 10-straight at bats, each and every Bear that went to the plate registered a hit.

Batting around the order and then some, all nine hitters recorded a hit consecutively, without recording an out.

When the Knights were finally able to get three outs, the Bears had put up 12 runs on 12 hits, putting down eight singles, two doubles, a triple and a home run, adding two walks, one wild pitch, one passed ball and one batter hit by a pitch.

The second inning marked the second double-digit run inning this season, and the 12 were the most by a UCA team since 2023, when the Bears scored 13 in the first NCAA Regional game against Long Island.

But the scoring wasn’t done there.

The third inning saw UCA Kaitlyn Graham open the frame with a walk, reach second on a wild pitch, and score on a Lilly Hood single up the middle.

The Knights walked the bases loaded, and back-to-back RBI at bats from Aeryn Shuman and Kylie Griffin added three more runs, pushing the lead to 16-0.

Bellarmine started to find a groove in the home half of the third, registering six hits to score five runs to try to cut into the lead.

Where five runs is usually a big inning that generates a lot of momentum, up against a 16-run deficit, the damage didn’t seem so bad, as well as the bats were going.

In the fourth inning, the bats didn’t have to do much work, as four walks and a bloop to the outfield scored two more runs, and an outfield error in the fifth allowed the final run to score. Nineteen runs are the most in a single game by UCA since February of 2020, when the Bears scored 21 in a win over UAPB.

Game Two: Bellarmine 2, UCA 1

As much offense as game one had, the second half of the doubleheader had the exact opposite. The Bears moved Kylie Griffin, who got on with a walk, to third base, but stranded the senior third baseman there.

Likewise, the Knights loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, but Julia Petty was able to battle out of it with two strikeouts bookending an infield fly to keep the game scoreless.

Offenses continued to be sluggish until the fourth inning. Addie Graham led off the frame with a bunt single, and Kaitlyn Graham advanced her to second with a single to left.

Mya January walked to load the bases, and Lilly Hood drove Graham home with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

Bellarmine took the lead in the sixth inning, scoring two on a bases loaded walk and a miscue from the outfield. UCA was able to limit the damage to just the two runs,

but the bottom of the lineup couldn’t pass the bat in the top of the seventh, splitting the doubleheader.

UCA is back in action on Sunday, playing at 10 a.m. to wrap up its series with Bellarmine in Louisville.