ABILENE - For 5.0 innings Saturday Abilene Christian junior transfer
Julia Montoya and the Southland Conference's top hurler Kylee Studioso were locked in a pitcher's duel, but then came the sixth where the Bears' bats awakened, allowing them to pull away from the Wildcats en route to a 6-4 victory.
The loss dropped ACU to 5-20 overall and 1-7 vs. Southland, while Central Arkansas maintained their share of first-place by lifting their respective records to 20-7 and 8-0. The Wildcats and Bears will conclude their three-game series Sunday at noon after heavy rains forced them to postpone the second game of today's doubleheader.
Montoya started off great in this contest, stranding a single baserunner in the first, second and third innings before pitching a 1-2-3 fourth. She then recorded two quicks outs in the fifth before getting into some trouble when Amy Gunnells hit a solo shot off the left-field scoreboard that cut ACU's lead to 2-1.
Gunnells blast turned over the UCA lineup and Montoya struggled to keep the Bears tamed the third time through the order. No. 1 and 2 hitters Sam Forrest and Briana Whisenhunt each singled with two outs in the fifth before Montoya got Sarah Bigej to end it on a ground ball to first.
Montoya went on to surrender three hits to the four batters she faced to begin the sixth, the last of which was a two-run home run to right by Hayley Parker that put the Bears in front for good at 4-2.
Emily Seidel followed Montoya to the circle and walked her first three batters, which led to two additional runs as pinch runner Ryan Holdiness and Gunnells both scored off a wild pitch and accompanying fielding error that made it 6-2.
The Wildcats began their comeback attempt in the bottom half of the sixth with
Peyton Hedrick cracking a two-run shot off the left-field foul pole, but ACU couldn't get her back to the plate in the seventh as Studioso got
Kristin Watkins to end the game on a ground ball to short with the game-tying runs on base.
Pinch hitter
Melissa Rodriguez started the seventh with a looping single to left and
Demi McNulty later reached on a one-out error by Bigej - the Bears' second baseman.
Taylor Brown then tried to slap a shot over the head of Studioso, but the ball was snagged straight above her head right as it crossed into the circle.
Brown led off the game with a double to left and scored on a throwing error by the UCA shortstop following a botched stolen-base attempt by Hedrick.
With runners at the corners and
Holly Neese at the plate, Hedrick took off for second only to be chased back to first by Parker. However, when Parker noticed Brown's sizable lead off third base she took her attention away from Hedrick and threw wildly past the covering third baseman Forrest.
Neese went on to strikeout that inning as she was one of six Studioso strikeout victims, but later she crushed a one-out solo shot over the wall in right-field for her third round-tripper of the season.
Seidel rebounded from her rocky relief appearance in the sixth by retiring the side in order in the seventh on a pop up, strikeout and ground out.
