Softball
Sugar Bears split opening games of season in Louisiana tournament
After pounding 13 hits in opening game, UCA struggles more against highly-ranked LSU in second matchup to open season
BATON ROUGE, La. — Day one of the Tiger Classic saw Central Arkansas split two games, defeating Southeastern Louisiana to open the season before falling to No. 9/10 LSU in the nightcap.
The Bears (1-1) tallied 13 hits on the day, and saw a number of fresh faces make an impact early. Three newcomers, Addie Graham, LJ Smith and Autumn Vessier, had multi-hit games to start the day, each Bear picking up two hits in the first game.
Game One: UCA 5, Southeastern Louisiana 2
UCA opened the first by loading the bases, but with two outs, the Bears were unable to score a run. The Lions then scored two in the bottom of the frame to jump out early. Again in the second, the Bears again moved to third base, but just like the first, two outs made it hard to score the run.
The Bears finally opened up the offense in the third, with back-to-back walks putting runners on first and second. Madi Young, on second, broke towards third, and an errant throw allowed the senior to go home, and Graham, who was on first, to make it to second. Renee Christian reached on a fielding error, and took advantage by stealing second, putting two runners in scoring position. Smith punched a single to right field, which allowed both runners to score, giving the Bears their first lead of the season.
Emma Veatch doubled to center, restocking second and third. Vessier knocked a single to centerfield, sending Smith home to make it 4-2 after three. Christian opened the fifth inning with a triple, and went home a batter later, again off the bat of Smith.
On the defensive end, Julia Petty found a rhythm after the first inning, scattering seven hits across seven innings for her first win of the season. Young looked fresh again at shortstop, returning to make three putouts and three assists in her first game back.
Game Two: LSU 10, UCA 0
The second game of the day did not see the same success for the Bears, as the nationally-ranked Tigers came off a perfect game right before playing the Bears. Riding that momentum, LSU struck in the second inning, scoring three to take a lead.
UCA had its best chance in the fourth inning, with back-to-back hits from Madi Young and Kaitlyn Graham setting the Bears up with a runner in scoring position. But a fielder’s choice ended the top of the inning, and put the Tigers back up to the plate. There, LSU plated seven runs, and an empty top of the fifth ended the night.
The Bears are back on the field tomorrow, playing LSU again on Saturday at 4 p.m.
