Baseball
Bears erupt for eight runs in seventh to top Golden Lions
UCA rallied from a sixth-inning deficit with an eight-run seventh inning to defeat UAPB 9-6 Tuesday night.
CONWAY, Ark. — It didn’t look like Central Arkansas’ night through six innings on Tuesday. UCA trailed, the bats had gone quiet and Arkanas-Pine Bluff had taken control.
Then the seventh inning arrived, and the Bears made sure everything changed in a hurry.
The Bears — now 16-17 overall and 5-7 in ASUN Conference play — turned a 2-1 deficit into a 9-3 lead with an eight-run seventh inning at Bear Stadium, going on to beat the Golden Lions 9-6.
UAPB dropped to 15-20 on the season and 8-4 in conference action.
The story of the game wasn’t just the final score. It was how UCA put things together when it mattered most, stringing hits, walks, and a key error together to plate eight runs in a single frame.
The Bears flipped the outcome completely, turning a one-run deficit into a six-run cushion in the span of one inning.
Jagger Schattle got things started in the first inning, launching a home run to right field to give UCA a 1-0 lead.
It was a promising start, but the Bears wouldn’t score again for six full innings.
UAPB’s Lazaro Alvarado and Vinny Saumell each singled in the top of the sixth and both eventually came around to score, giving the Golden Lions a 2-1 edge heading into the bottom half.
UCA needed a response, and the Bears delivered one emphatically.
Seven-run swing decides game
Zane Denton led off the seventh with a double to get UCA going, and the inning took on a life of its own from there.
Zeb Allen and Nate Negre followed with singles to load the bases for the Bears.
Schattle drew a walk to bring in the first run, tying the game at 2-2, and UCA kept right on rolling.
Jack Runsick drew a walk for an RBI, pushing the Bears in front 3-2. Parker Gwyn reached on an error that allowed another run to score, and UCA led 4-2.
Keaton Laidley walked to score a fourth run of the inning, extending the Bears’ advantage to 5-2, before Sam Reynolds capped the frame with a bases-clearing double.
UCA had scored eight runs in the seventh inning, taking a 9-2 lead before UAPB scratched across one run late to make it 9-3 after seven.
Reynolds finished the night with three RBIs, one double, and a stolen base.
The Bears also got two runs scored, two RBIs, and the first-inning home run from Schattle, while UCA’s Denton went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI to pace the offense.
Bears’ pitching holds steady before late UAPB push
On the mound, Jacob Pannell handled the bulk of the work for the Bears, going five innings and allowing just one earned run while striking out three batters without issuing a single walk.
UCA then turned to Silas Cowgill, who worked 1 2/3 innings in relief and surrendered two earned runs on five hits.
The Bears handed the ball to Jake Jones next, and he closed out the eighth by working 1 1/3 frames, striking out three, and allowing no hits.
Jones earned the win for UCA, improving his record to 1-1 on the year. The Bears then called on Hunter Alexander to handle the ninth and UAPB made things interesting.
UCA gave up three earned runs on two hits and three walks in that frame as the Golden Lions mounted a late push.
Blake Coleman singled and eventually scored on a hit by Trinidad De la Garza.
Two more runs crossed the plate on a walk and a sacrifice fly by Ian Smith, but the Bears’ lead was too much to overcome.
UCA held on for the 9-6 final as the rally fell short.
UAPB finished the game with 12 hits compared to the Bears’ 10, but UCA drew five walks on the night compared to four for the Golden Lions.
The Bears committed two errors, matching UAPB’s total, but the eight-run seventh inning was ultimately the story that defined the outcome.
UCA heads into the weekend having shown what’s possible when the lineup clicks together. The Bears will travel to Nashville, Tenn., to face Lipscomb at 6 p.m. on Friday.
