UCA Tops North Alabama 11-6 to Share ASUN Gold Division Lead

CONWAY, Ark. — A six-run eighth inning turned a tense contest into a comfortable margin Friday night, as Central Arkansas knocked off North Alabama 11-6 at Bear Stadium.

The victory pushed UCA’s overall record to 28-22 and lifted the Bears into a share of first place in the ASUN Gold Division, where both teams now sit at 15-10 in conference play.

It wasn’t a wire-to-wire runaway. Through the first two innings, neither team could get anything going offensively. Then in the third, things got interesting.

Sophomore infielder Nate Negre put UCA on the board first with a solo home run down the left field line, knotting the score at 1-1.

North Alabama had also scored once in the third, so the two squads headed into the middle innings in a dead heat.

The Bears broke the tie in the fourth. Jack Runsick drew a single to center field and eventually crossed the plate as part of a productive inning capped by Zane Denton’s two-RBI single up the middle.

That gave UCA a 3-1 lead heading into the fifth.

UCA kept adding on in the sixth. Keaton Laidley doubled to right field and later came around to score after pinch hitter Zach Adams lined a two-RBI single down the right field line.

That extended the advantage to 5-2 and put the Bears in a position to cruise — but North Alabama wasn’t ready to fold.

The Lions answered in the seventh with a three-spot that evened things at 5-5, setting up what turned into the decisive stretch of the ballgame.

Bears’ Eighth Inning Does the Damage

Conway’s Bear Stadium crowd got their money’s worth in the eighth inning.

Mark Ross led off with a single and eventually scored on a Denton RBI single, Denton’s second multi-RBI contribution of the game.

Then Jagger Schattle delivered the knockout blow, connecting for a three-run single that blew the game open.

UCA scored six runs in the frame to go ahead 11-5, putting the outcome well out of North Alabama’s reach. The Lions added a run in the ninth, but the final score settled at 11-6.

By the time the final out was recorded, UCA had collected 14 hits.

Negre paced the offense going 3-for-5 with two runs scored, one RBI, and his home run. Denton finished the night driving in three runs.

Ross crossed the plate three times and added two hits. Laidley went 2-for-5 with a run scored.

On the mound, Denver Hamilton did the bulk of the work. The junior right-hander went 6 2/3 innings, allowing nine hits and five runs — four earned — while striking out four and walking one.

He threw 89 pitches and landed 63 of them for strikes. Hunter Alexander came in to close it out, working the final 2 1/3 innings and giving up just one earned run on four hits.

Alexander threw 41 pitches, 27 for strikes, and improved his season record to 6-2.

North Alabama starter Gavin Oswald dropped to 6-3 on the year and took the loss.

Game 2 of the series is set for 4 p.m. Saturday at Bear Stadium.

The matchup’ll be available on ESPN+ and on the radio via The Bear 91.3.