Baseball
Bears’ offensive explosion in ninth gives them 10-5 win over Bellarmine
UCA win their sixth ASUN game in their last seven, batted around in the ninth to break a 5-5 tie
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Central Arkansas exploded for five runs in the top of the ninth Friday to grab a 10-5 victory over the Bellarmine Knights in their ASUN series opener at Knights Field.
The Bears, who won their sixth ASUN game in their last seven, batted around in the ninth to break a 5-5 tie.
Freshman righthander Aden Velasquez did the rest, tossing the final 4.1 innings and allowing no hits and no runs while striking out four for his second victory of the season.
In the ninth, designated hitter Preston Curtis reached on an error and first baseman Jagger Schattle followed with a double.
Noah Goodshield pinch ran for Schattle before Sam Reynolds was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Third baseman Keon Moseni doubled to right field to score Goodshield and Curtis to break the tie.
The Knights walked Zeb Allen to load the bases again but a throwing error on an attempted play at the plate allowed two more runs to score, good for a 9-5 lead.
Bryce Cermenelli finished off the scoring with a sacrifice fly to left that brought in Allen with the 10th run.
Velasquez then got a fly ball on the first pitch of the ninth and a pair of swinging strikeouts to end it.
UCA got a run in the first on an Allen double and RBI single by Nate Negre. They added another in the third on an RBI single by Blaine French.
In the fifth, the Bears got another single run when Cermenelli scored on Curtis’ sacrifice fly. After the Knights score four times in the bottom of the inning, UCA tied it back up at 5-5 in the sixth with a two-run Shipley single.
Shipley, a senior catcher from Farmington, Ark., finished 3 for 4 with 2 RBI. Moseni was 1 for 2 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored, along with three walks. UCA finished with 10 hits.
Game 2 of the series is set for 2 p.m. Saturday.
