Softball
LSU simply too much for Bears for second time in Baton Rouge
Bears drop second matchup Saturday against host team in Tiger Classic before final games Sunday afternoon
BATON ROUGE, La. — For the second time this week, the Central Arkansas softball team was tasked with facing the No. 9/10 LSU Tigers.
While adjustments were made, and marginal success gained, the Bears still couldn’t pull off the upset.
The Bears moved to 1-2 on Friday, falling 6-0 to the nationally-ranked hosts of the Tiger Classic. This time, UCA logged four hits, and held LSU to just six, forcing the Tigers to play all seven innings for the first time all week.
LSU started the scoring in the first inning, pairing two walks with a home run to jump out 3-0. Kaitlyn Graham recorded the first hit of the day for UCA in the second, opening the inning with a double on a 2-2 count.
The Bears, however, couldn’t find a way to move her around the bases, leaving the first of five baserunners stranded.
LSU added a run in each of the third, fifth and sixth innings, but were otherwise limited by the Bear defense.
UCA found a hit in the fifth off the bat of LJ Smith, but once more, didn’t have the supporting effort to bring her around home.
The best chance of the night came in the sixth inning, as the Bears put two runners on and actually found ways to move them. Kylie Griffin singled with one out to get on base, and a sacrifice bunt moved her to second.
Madi Young walked to put runners on first and second, producing the first real threat of the game. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, but with two outs, the LSU defense was able to secure the third to avoid giving up a run.
UCA has two more games on Sunday, playing Charlotte at 10 a.m. before wrapping up the Tiger Classic at 12:30 p.m.
