Baseball
Reynolds delivers walk-off winner for Bears over Colonels, 8-7
UCA starter Hunter Alexander pitched into the sixth and struck out a career-high 10 batters but got a no decision
CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas got a walk-off base hit from redshirt freshman Sam Reynolds in the bottom of the ninth Friday to grab an 8-7 victory over Eastern Kentucky in the ASUN series opener at Bear Stadium.
The Bears tied the game with a solo home run by freshman shortstop Nathan Negre to lead off the inning. Bryce Cermenelli followed with a single to right field and catcher Casey Shipley executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance Cermenelli.
Blaine French was intentionally walked and Preston Curtis flied out to right field. Jagger Schattle was also intentionally walked before Reynolds roped a 1-2 pitch to right field for the game winner.
UCA had three home runs, from Negre, Shipley and Curtis, and 12 total hits. Cermenelli was 3 for 5, while Negre and Curtis had two apiece.
The Colonels, who also had 12 hits, went ahead with two runs in the first but UCA answered with a sacrifice fly by Shipley that scored Zeb Allen in the bottom of the inning. EKU added another in the second and UCA did the same with another sacrifice fly by Reynolds, scoring Curtis.
After EKU added another single run in the third, the Bears put up three in the bottom of the frame on a three-run blast by Curtis that put UCA up 5-4. After UCA got a single run in the seventh on Shipley’s fourth home run, EKU went back in front with three runs in the eighth.
UCA starter Hunter Alexander pitched into the sixth and struck out a career-high 10 batters but got a no decision. Freshman Aden Velasquez came on in the ninth and set down the Colonels in order with just eight pitches for his first career victory.
The Bears and Colonels will continue their series with a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday to avoid possible weather issues on Sunday.
