Softball

Bears sweep doubleheader in dominant fashion over Lipscomb

Late offense in both games proved to be difference, as Bears were able to hold on for series win

Published

2 months ago

April 18, 2025

CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas takes both halves of an ASUN doubleheader against Lipscomb, outscoring the Bisons 15-5 over two games.

Late offense in both games proved to be the difference, as the Bears were able to hold on for the series win.

The wins improve UCA to 22-24 overall and 10-6 in ASUN games. Addie Graham had herself a day, going 5-for-7 with two home runs, driving in five runs to pace the Bears.

Bailie Runner earned the game one win, tossing a complete game to start the day. Paityn Engemann picked up the win in game two, and is now 2-0 in ASUN games with a 0.00 ERA.

UCA 5, Lipscomb 3

Both teams were scoreless after two innings, thanks to some good defense on both sides. Lipscomb finally broke the tie in the third with two runs in the inning.

UCA sough to tie the game in the home half of the frame, and back-to-back singles by Addie Graham and Madi Young put runners at the corners with one out.

After Young stole second, Kaitlyn Graham put a ball down on the infield that the runner from third was able to score on, and the deficit was just one after three.

After a quick fourth inning, Lipscomb took a two-run lead with another score in the fifth, combining a double, a groundout and a single to take a 3-1 lead.

But the Bears weren’t going away easily. Aeryn Shuman opened the bottom of the fifth with a double, and two batters later, Graham blasted a longball to right center, tying the game at 3-3. Young followed it up with a double, and moved to third on the next at bat.

Lilly Hood drove a ball up the middle, and just like that, the Bears were in front. UCA added one more in the sixth, after Mya January doubled, Shuman drove her in with a single to left field.

UCA 10, Lipscomb 2

Lipscomb took the first lead in game two as well, opening the game with a home run on the second at bat of the game. Undeterred, the Bears answered in the bottom of the first.

Addie Graham and Madi Young both walked to get on base with one out, and Kaitlyn Graham replaced Young on a fielder’s choice.

So two on, two out, Lilly Hood punches a ball out to right field, and sneaks it past the right fielder, causing the ball to roll all the way to the corner. Both runners on base score, and UCA took a 2-1 lead.

The Bisons tied the game in the second inning on a pair of doubles, and the 2-2 score held through the top of the fourth.

Mya January got on base on a fielder’s choice, and beat out a throw to second on the next at bat to put two runners on with one out. A single by Aeryn Shuman loaded the bases, and Kylie Griffin gave the Bears the lead with a sacrifice fly to left.

Graham drove a single up the middle to score a run, and Young did the exact same thing, scoring two more runs, breaking the score open to 6-2.

UCA sealed the deal in the sixth inning. Still up 6-2, Griffin crushed a triple to the right field corner, and came home after Addie Graham bashed her second homer of the day to center.

Young took a pitch off the helmet, and she scored when Kaitlyn Graham located and detonated on a 2-2 pitch, walking off the game via the run rule.

Friday’s game two marked the third game for the Bears this season in which the lineup hit multiple triples, and the second time this season that the Bears have hit multiple home runs in a game.

Game two was also the eighth time this year that UCA has scored ten or more runs in a game.

The Bears are back on the field tomorrow at 1 p.m. to close the series with Lipscomb.

Information from UCA Sports is included in this story.

Softball

Bears end season with loss to Stetson in ASUN Tournament

Decision ended the storied careers of Griffin, Young and Julia Petty, who helped UCA to two-straight top-three finishes

Published

1 month ago

May 8, 2025

All Bears Plus

OXFORD, Ala. — Central Arkansas ended its season on Thursday, falling to Stetson in the final six.

The loss caps 2025 with a 28-27 record for the Bears.

UCA struggled to get the bats going, recording only four hits scattered across the five innings as the Bears fell 10-1.

Meanwhile, Stetson was able to pair multiple at bats in multiple innings to build a lead.

The Bears loaded the bases in each of the first two innings, but couldn’t plate anything in the first.

Stetson scored three in the second to take a lead, and UCA went to work to try to change the rhythm of the game in the bottom of the frame. LJ Smith put down a two-out single, stretching the inning.

Kylie Griffin walked, and Addie Graham singled to load the bases. Madi Young took four-straight pitches to draw a walk, scoring Smith from third to get the Bears on the board.

But after the second, Stetson’s bats continued to find gaps, whereas the Bears’ bats continued to find gloves.

Stetson nickeled and dimed to runs in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings to stretch the lead, and UCA wasn’t able to muster a comeback.

Thursday’s decision ended the storied careers of Griffin, Young and Julia Petty, who helped UCA to two-straight top-three finishes in the ASUN, and for Young and Griffin, 2023 ASUN regular season and tournament championships.

Softball

Problems late cost Bears in ASUN Tournament against FGCU

Bears have a rough day defensively, uncharacteristic of a team that finished first in the ASUN in fielding percentage

Published

1 month ago

May 7, 2025

All Bears Plus

OXFORD, Ala. — Game one of the ASUN Championship did not go the way the Bears wanted it to, as Central Arkansas slipped up late in the opening game against FGCU.

The 5-3 finish saw the Bears have a rough day defensively, uncharacteristic of a team that finished first in the ASUN in fielding percentage.

UCA was excellent defensively to start the game, handling the speed of the FGCU batters and keeping everything in front.

Both sides struggled early offensively, as both offenses found it difficult to get anything to sneak out of the infield.

The Bears finally struck in the third inning; playing on Choccolocco Park’s 225-foot field,

Addie Graham smoked one into the gap in right center, and it rolled all 225-feet to the wall. The speedy freshman made it pretty easily to third base, logging the first triple allowed by FGCU pitcher Allison Sparkman.

Madi Young followed the triple up with a single, but it was enough to score Graham for the first run of the day.

The fourth inning also prove to be a good offensive inning for the Bears.

Lilly Hood started off with a double that would have been a home run in any of the 12 ASUN ballparks, punching it all the way to the top of the wall in centerfield.

Then, with two outs, Autumn Vessier walked, and both runners moved to scoring position on a wild pitch. LJ Smith walked to load the bases, and Kylie Griffin walked to score a run.

Graham followed it up with a single to right field, scoring one more run to increase the lead to three.

Things started to unravel in the fifth inning for UCA. With two runners on, a sacrifice bunt moved both into scoring position.

A sharp hit to the infield was then misplayed on a throw to home, and as the ball bounced around the backstop, two runs were able to score.

The misfortune continued in the seventh, with another misplay at home allowing two more runs to score. An RBI triple later, and the Bears trailed 5-3.

With a chance left in the bottom of the seventh, UCA couldn’t get through.

UCA now heads to the bottom of the bracket for the remainder of the tournament.

The Bears will await the results of a few games to determine their next opponent, and will face elimination at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Softball

Bears open ASUN Tournament against Florida Gulf Coast

UCA capped the regular season with a sweep of North Alabama, dooming the Lions to the No. 9 seed

Published

1 month ago

May 6, 2025

All Bears Plus

CONWAY, Ark. — It’s championship season for the No. 3 seed Central Arkansas as the Bears open their ASUN Championship run on Wednesday.

The Bears will face No. 4 seed Florida Gulf Coast at 3 p.m. at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama.

UCA (28-25, 16-7 ASUN) capped the regular season with a sweep of North Alabama, dooming the Lions to the No. 9 seed after sweeping both the home and road series against UNA.

While it was the offense that carried the road series, it was the defense that stuck out at home; the Bears limited the Lions to just four runs across the three games, despite being outhit in all three games.

The Bears ended the regular season hitting .293 as a team, led by Kylie Griffin’s .396 and Addie Graham’s .385.

The duo combined for 137 hits, 20 doubles, five triples and four home runs, and scored a combined 80 runs.

The pair was a dynamite top-two of the order, and helped the Bears jump out early and often against opponents this season.

With Kaitlyn Graham, Madi Young and Lilly Hood behind them, it didn’t take much for the Bears to score runs with the speed at the top and the power waiting behind.

FGCU had to win on Tuesday to advance to its first meeting with the Bears this season, and the Eagles did so, controlling the game early against Lipscomb to advance to Wednesday’s game.

Since reverting to divisions this season, the ASUN Gold and Graphite Division opponents are all facing off for the first time in the championship, meaning that until the later stages of the tournament, everybody is trying to figure out an opponent for the first time.

The Eagles ended the regular season 27-28 overall, and 14-10 in conference. FGCU plays a small-ball system, relying on bunching hits together with steals and defensive miscues to generate offense.

FGCU hit only 14 home runs this year, with just three percent of the team’s hits leaving the park. With speed at every position, the Eagles also stole 156 bases, with five players in double-figures and 15 players swiping at least one base.

UCA and FGCU battle for a chance to play EKU on Thursday, as the ASUN Championship continues. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.