UCA Drops Midweek Matchup to Ole Miss 5-0 at Home

CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas ran into a tough SEC opponent Wednesday night, dropping a 5-0 decision to Ole Miss at Natalie Shock Stadium on Wednesday.

The Bears couldn’t get enough going at the plate, finishing with just four hits in the loss that moved their record to 23-15 on the season.

It wasn’t a game short on effort for UCA, but the offense simply didn’t generate enough to keep pace with a Rebels squad that came in at 25-15.

Ole Miss pitcher Kyra Aycock picked up the win, improving to 10-7, while Bears freshman Lucy Crowder took the loss and dropped to 3-2 on the year.

Crowder didn’t make things easy on the Rebels early.

She kept Ole Miss guessing through several innings and the Bears defense did its part by keeping the game close through the first few frames. Neither team was able to score in the opening inning despite both squads recording hits.

Ole Miss got on the board first in the second inning on a solo home run by Cassie Reasner — the only blemish on an otherwise solid stretch of pitching from Crowder.

Through the first four innings, the Rebels had no more than one baserunner in any single frame, and the Bears were still very much in it heading into the middle portion of the game.

The closest UCA came to answering was in the third inning, when freshman infielder LJ Smith drew a walk and advanced to third base on a pair of groundouts. =”But the Bears couldn’t bring her home, and the Rebels escaped the threat without giving up a run. That’s a moment that loomed large as the game moved forward.

Ole Miss Breaks It Open in the Fifth

Any momentum the Bears had built came to a halt in the fifth inning, when Ole Miss strung together a three-run frame to push the lead to 4-0.

That’s when the deficit went from manageable to difficult. Kennedy Bunker drove in one run, Mackenzie Pickens was responsible for two RBIs, and Persy Llamas added another as the Rebels took control.

Crowder worked six innings in total, allowing four earned runs before being replaced by freshman Emory Bowlin in the seventh.

Bowlin threw a clean inning, striking out one batter and walking none. Ole Miss added one more run in the seventh on an RBI from Cassie Reasner, who’d already hit the second-inning home run, to make it a 5-0 final.

On the offensive side, Addie Graham was the most productive Bear at the plate, going 2-for-3 on the night.

Trinity Brandon went 1-for-3, and Autumn Vessier added a hit in two at-bats. The Bears finished with four total hits and two walks as a team, while Ole Miss collected ten hits and didn’t steal a base.

LJ Smith, who’d had that key at-bat in the third, was one of the more active defenders on the field, recording three putouts and seven assists. Kaitlyn Graham led all players with nine putouts at first base.

Bears Return to ASUN Play This Weekend

With the midweek game now in the books, the Bears are shifting focus back to conference action. UCA is set to host Eastern Kentucky in a three-game ASUN series starting Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

Game times could shift depending on weather, as forecasts show the possibility of inclement conditions heading into the weekend.

The Bears will need their bats to wake up if they want to make a statement in conference play.

Managing just four hits against a mid-major opponent or a strong SEC program like Ole Miss won’t get the job done when it matters most down the stretch.

The pitching staff showed it can compete, so the offense will have to catch up.

With the ASUN tournament approaching, every conference game carries weight.

The series against Eastern Kentucky gives UCA a chance to regroup and pick up some momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season.