UCA softball’s Bowlin throws no-hitter as Bears rout Bellarmine

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Freshman pitcher Emory Bowlin didn’t give Bellarmine a single hit Sunday afternoon, and the Central Arkansas offense backed her up with 16 runs and 14 hits to complete an ASUN series sweep over the Knights in Louisville.

The 16-0 final pushed the Bears to 28-16 on the season and 10-4 in conference play.

It’s the most runs UCA’s scored in a single game this season, and it’s the fourth time the Bears have hit double digits against Bellarmine. UCA is now 12-1-1 all-time against the Knights and has swept them three times.

For Bowlin, who improved to 6-5 on the year, the gem was a milestone.

She allowed just one walk and struck out two batters while working five innings, allowing only three base-runners the whole game.

A couple of errors behind her were the only blemishes on an otherwise clean afternoon.

It’s her second shutout of the season, and she became the first freshman to throw a no-hitter for UCA since 2020.

Trinity Brandon was the offensive engine from start to finish, going 3-for-3 with five RBIs and three runs scored.

Her eighth home run of the season — a three-run shot in the second inning — blew the game open and gave the Bears a 6-0 lead before Bellarmine could find its footing.

The Bears wasted no time getting started. Addie Graham led off the game with a single, and Brandon drew a walk to put two runners on.

A passed ball moved them both into scoring position, and a groundout followed by a double brought home two runs in the very first frame.

UCA had the advantage before Bellarmine even got comfortable.

Bears Pile On Through Middle Innings

The second inning was where UCA really separated itself.

Grace Molitor reached on a single to right and moved to second during Autumn Vessier’s plate appearance.

Renee Christian then laced one up the middle to score Molitor, and Brandon followed with that three-run homer to push the lead to six.

The third inning gave the Bears even more breathing room.

LJ Smith opened with a single and moved to second after Lilly Hood walked. Vessier drew a walk two batters later to load the bases with one out.

After a pitching change by Bellarmine, Christian drew a bases-loaded walk to push in a run. Addie Graham then lined a single to score two more, and Brandon added a 2-RBI hit of her own to stretch the lead to 11.

Christian was a constant presence on the bases all day. She walked three times, scored three runs, drove in two, and also swiped a stolen base.

Addie Graham finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Kaitlyn Graham went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, three RBIs, and a run of her own.

Emma Robertson, batting in the fifth, needed just one pitch to deliver a run-scoring single.

Kaitlyn Graham followed with a double to right center that cleared the bases, and then back-to-back RBI hits from Smith and Hood made it a 16-run advantage — the biggest margin of victory in a single game for UCA this season.

Bellarmine entered the contest at 10-30 overall and 3-12 in ASUN play, but even accounting for the opponent, holding them hitless while the offense produced in every inning is a sharp all-around showing for the Bears.

What’s Next for UCA

The Bears head back on the road next weekend, returning to Kentucky to face Eastern Kentucky on Saturday at 1 p.m. UCA’s already 2-0 against the Colonels this season after taking both games in Conway last week, so the Bears will look to stay perfect against them.

The win Sunday continues a stretch of strong conference play for UCA. At 10-4 in ASUN games, the Bears are building a case for a favorable postseason position if they can keep up this kind of two-way production.