Bears edge UAPB 10-9 on Adams’ walk-off double in ninth

CONWAY, Ark. — It took every inning, but Central Arkansas came through when it mattered most.

Zach Adams delivered a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday evening at Bear Stadium, scoring Keon Moseni to give the Bears a 10-9 victory over UAPB and their eighth win in the last 10 games.

The final score didn’t come easy.

The Bears built a cushion several times throughout the game, only to watch UAPB chip away before the Golden Lions forced a tie in the ninth inning with an unearned run.

UCA answered right back, and Adams’ clutch hit sealed the deal.

The Bears finished with 12 hits on the night, including three triples and a home run, while UAPB collected 11 hits and two home runs in a back-and-forth contest that kept Bear Stadium fans engaged from first pitch to last.

Allen sets table early with record-tying blast

UCA wasted little time getting on the board. Zeb Allen drove a solo home run to right field in the first inning, giving the Bears a 1-0 lead and tying the program’s single-season home run record in the process.

The homer also extended Allen’s career home run total to 27, the most in Bears program history.

The scoring didn’t stop there. Parker Gwyn drew a walk and moved to third on a Jagger Schattle single. Jack Runsick then brought Gwyn home with a sacrifice fly, stretching the UCA lead to 2-1 before the opening inning was finished.

The Bears kept the offense moving in the second. Mark Ross singled and scored on a Zach Adams triple. Adams then came around to score himself on a Gwyn sacrifice fly, pushing the advantage to 4-1 through two complete innings.

UCA extends lead before UAPB rally

The fourth inning added to the Bears’ cushion through opportunistic baserunning. Adams reached on a throwing error, worked his way around the bases, and eventually scored on an Allen RBI single. Schattle then delivered a run-scoring double that brought Allen home, making it 6-1 after four.

UAPB didn’t go quietly. The Golden Lions erupted for four runs in the top of the fifth, highlighted by a two-run home run off the bat of Aaron Grant. That cut the deficit to one, but UCA added a run of its own in the bottom half of the inning to stay ahead at 7-5.

The sixth inning saw another exchange. A Gwyn triple set up a Schattle sacrifice fly that gave UCA an 8-5 lead. UAPB answered with two runs to cut the margin to 8-7, setting up a tense final few innings at Bear Stadium.

Both clubs traded single runs in the eighth, leaving UCA ahead 9-8 heading into the ninth. That’s when UAPB knotted it with an unearned run before Adams ended the drama with his two-out, walk-off double.

Bears’ pitching staff pieces it together

Starting pitcher Silas Cowgill set the tone for UCA, working three clean innings without allowing an earned run while striking out two batters. Nicholas French followed and ran into trouble, surrendering three earned runs and two home runs across 1 1/3 innings.

Kannon Nesslage steadied things with a perfect inning, not allowing a single baserunner. Hunter Alexander closed out the game with a scoreless ninth, giving up just one hit and earning his fourth win of the season against one loss. The combination of arms managed to keep UAPB’s two-homer night from being the story of the game.

Across the lineup, Allen led the Bears with three RBIs and two runs scored. Adams and Schattle each drove in two runs, while Gwyn and Moseni each crossed the plate twice. UCA also drew six walks compared to UAPB’s four, helping manufacture runs throughout the contest.

The Bears’ record moves to 23-19 overall with the victory. UCA returns to ASUN Conference play Friday when it heads to Louisville, Kentucky, to face Bellarmine University at 2 p.m.