Bears top North Alabama in extra innings to split doubleheader

CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas needed 10 innings and every bit of its resolve to salvage a split on Saturday at Bear Stadium, edging North Alabama 4–3 in the nightcap of a doubleheader after dropping the opener 12–4.

The Bears moved to 29–23 overall and 16–11 in ASUN play, while the Lions fell to 25–25.

It wasn’t a clean afternoon for UCA. Game 1 got away in a hurry, with North Alabama scoring 12 runs on 15 hits.

But rather than let the first game define the day, the Bears came back out and fought through a tight, grinding contest that stretched into extra innings before ending in the most dramatic way possible.

North Alabama struck first in Game 2, taking a 1–0 lead in the opening inning when Coleman scored on a passed ball following a Rippen single to right. The Lions held that advantage through the first three frames while UCA searched for answers offensively.

UCA got on the board in the fourth inning thanks to a sequence that began with Keaton Laidley singling up the middle and reaching third on a throwing error.

Zach Adams followed with a base hit and Jack Runsick delivered a run-scoring single through the right side to trim the gap to 2–1.

The Bears drew even in the seventh when Mark Ross drew a walk, moved up on a Laidley single and scored when Adams lined another hit up the middle to knot things at 2–2. It looked like UCA might be in control, but North Alabama had other ideas.

A solo home run by Will Millard in the ninth pushed the Lions back in front at 3–2 and put the Bears’ backs against the wall. Conway, the home crowd at Bear Stadium stayed in it and so did Parker Gwyn.

Gwyn answered Millard’s blast with a home run to left center in the bottom of the ninth, tying the game at 3–3 and sending it to extra innings. It was a moment that kept the Bears alive when the season was on the line.

The tenth inning was where it ended. Central Arkansas loaded the bases and capitalized when Runsick scored from third on a wild pitch, giving the Bears a 4–3 victory and a split of the day’s doubleheader.

Bears got what they needed on mound

Starting pitcher Jacob Pannell worked six solid innings, surrendering just one earned run on five hits while striking out three and walking two on 81 pitches.

His ability to keep the Lions in check for six frames gave UCA a real chance to win.

Silas Cowgill followed in relief, throwing 2⅔ innings and collecting four strikeouts before giving up the Millard home run that temporarily put North Alabama ahead.

Hunter Alexander closed it out, working the final 1⅓ innings without allowing a hit, striking out three and picking up the win to improve to 7–2.

Laidley and Adams each finished with three hits in Game 2. Gwyn’s home run was the biggest swing of the night and Runsick’s contributions — both his fourth-inning RBI single and the walk-off run — bookended the victory.

Game 1 was different story

In the opener, North Alabama jumped ahead 2–0 in the first inning on a Rippen home run, added a run in the second on a Westmoreland RBI single and didn’t look back. UCA’s best moment came in the fifth inning when Zane Denton connected on a three-run home run, scoring Casey Shipley and Jayden Sloan to cut the deficit to 5–3.

The Lions responded by scoring seven times in the sixth on eight hits, with RBI contributions from Loving, Craska, Coleman, Rippen and Walker. That six-run explosion put the game firmly out of reach. Nate Negre added a solo shot in the eighth for the Bears, but it didn’t change the outcome. UCA dropped Game 1 by a score of 12–4.

Jake Jones started on the mound and gave up seven earned runs in five innings. JB Williams struggled in a brief appearance and Kannon Nesslage provided the lone bright spot by throwing 3⅔ scoreless innings on two hits.

What’s next

The Bears will return to Bear Stadium on Thursday when they host Lipscomb University at 6 p.m.

The game’ll be available on ESPN+ and on The Bear 91.3. Lipscomb currently sits atop the ASUN Gold Division, with UCA one game back.