Bears rally past Lipscomb behind two homers, big eighth inning

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Central Arkansas came to Ken Dugan Field on Friday night trailing early, but the Bears didn’t stay behind for long.

Behind a breakout performance from sophomore Nate Negre and a pair of home runs, UCA pulled away from Lipscomb for a 12-6 win to improve to 17-17 overall and 6-7 in ASUN Conference play.

It wasn’t the start the Bears were looking for.

Lipscomb grabbed a 3-0 lead after two innings when Keaton Mahan scored on a Jordan Thomas double, Hutson Miles added a sacrifice fly and Brady Miller drove in another run with a single.

The Bisons looked comfortable at home and UCA’s offense was quiet through the first three frames.

The Bears began their climb back in the fourth inning. Nate Negre worked a walk and moved to third on a single from Jagger Schattle.

Jack Runsick then delivered a sacrifice fly to score Negre and cut the Lipscomb lead to 3-1. It was a small move, but it kept the Bears within striking distance heading into the heart of the game.

The fifth inning is where things shifted. Keaton Laidley singled to get things started and Negre followed with an RBI single of his own to bring Laidley home.

Then Schattle stepped up and launched a three-run homer, flipping the lead entirely.

Just like that, UCA led 5-3. Lipscomb managed to pull one back in the bottom half of the fifth, making it 5-4, but the Bears had already shown they could put runs on the board in bunches.

Mark Ross kept the momentum going in the sixth with a solo home run to push the score to 6-4. The UCA offense was now clicking and Lipscomb’s pitching staff was running out of answers.

The Bears had gone from a three-run hole to a two-run lead in the span of a few innings.

Eighth inning puts game away

If there was any lingering doubt about who’d win this game, the eighth inning ended it. The Bears put up five runs, taking advantage of a Lipscomb error and some timely hitting.

Negre was at the center of it again, delivering a three-RBI double that stretched UCA’s lead to 11-4.

Lipscomb’s Thomas hit a two-run home run in the bottom half to make it 11-6, but the Bears weren’t giving this one back.

UCA added one more run in the ninth when Runsick crossed the plate after Laidley singled.

The final score was 12-6 and it wasn’t as close as that margin might suggest given how the Bears closed things out.

Negre finished the night 4-for-4 with four RBIs, two doubles and a stolen base — one of the better individual performances the Bears have had at the plate this season.

Schattle went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a home run, while Ross added two runs scored, a home run and a stolen base.

On the mound, Denver Hamilton earned his fifth win of the season without a loss, improving to 5-0. He worked six full innings, giving up nine hits and four earned runs without issuing a single walk.

He threw 99 pitches, 69 of which were strikes and struck out two batters. It was a steady, controlled outing from the junior right-hander who’s now been one of the team’s most reliable arms all season.

Hunter Alexander came on in relief and made sure things didn’t get complicated. The senior right-hander worked three innings, allowed just one hit and rang up six strikeouts.

He issued four walks and gave up one home run but kept Lipscomb from mounting any real comeback. The save was his sixth of the year.

What’s next for Bears

UCA’s stolen base total for the night was five compared to Lipscomb’s one, showing the Bears’ ability to create pressure on the base paths.

The team also drew six walks to Lipscomb’s four. Those little advantages added up over nine innings.

The Bears and Bisons are right back at it on Saturday, April 11, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. at Ken Dugan Field in Nashville, Tennessee.

The game will be available to watch on ESPN+ and to hear on The Bear 91.3.

With UCA sitting at .500 overall, another series win against Lipscomb would give the Bears a boost heading deeper into ASUN play.