ABILENE – Central Arkansas captured game three of its series against Abilene Christian softball, 7-3, on a cold and blustery Saturday afternoon in the Big Country. The Bears finished with eight hits with most of the damage coming in the first inning, where they scored six runs on five hits – including a three-run shot off the left-field scoreboard by Ryan Holdiness.
UCA improved to 22-31 overall and 12-12 within the Southland Conference following their 2-1 series victory, while the Wildcats fell to 29-20 and 17-8.
Redshirt junior
Hannah Null got the start, and yesterday she was brilliant against the Bears, tossing 8.1 scoreless innings between both ends of Friday's doubleheader. But the visitors got to her right out of the gate today as all five batters she faced reached base. Briana Whisenhunt and Kayla Shepherd each singled to right field, putting runners at the corners, and Whisenhunt scored the first run as part of a double steal.
The next batter – Cylla Hill – reached on an error, and after a short timeout by the Wildcats Holdiness made it a 4-0 game with her second home run of the spring. Null gave up another single that ricocheted off the third-base bag before being pulled in favor of freshman
Sidney Holman, who pitched the rest of the way, giving up two runs on four hits and five walks.
Holman's relief outing started rough as she allowed a leadoff double to Kate Myers, a walk to Morgan Felts, and a wild pitch that moved the runners into scoring position. Myers would score on a ground ball to third, but Holman retired the next two batters and escape the nightmare first inning.
Holman chalked up three consecutive scoreless innings from the second to fourth innings, but after ACU narrowed the gap to 6-2, the Bears scored once more in the fifth on Myers' one-out single to right-center field that scored pinch runner Briana McArthur.
Holman later pitched out of a two-one, one-out jam in the sixth, and got three ground outs in the seventh to finish her day with 140 pitches. She struck out three batters, two of which were in the third inning.
Forced to play catchup from the very start, ACU's offense collected 10 base hits but could never get more than two in a single inning. The Wildcats scored their first run in the third after
Taylor Brown – who tripled – came home on
Peyton Hedrick's ground ball to first, and then in the fourth, Kaleigh Singleton hit one off the wall in right field to plate
Braegan Hamilton.
ACU cut UCA's lead to four runs at 7-3 in the fifth when
Brianna Barnhill singled home Hedrick, and the Wildcats had a chance for more runs in the sixth only to see a bases-loaded threat with one out extinguished on an unassisted double play turned by Bears' shortstop Myers. The sophomore lunged toward her right to catch a soft line drive off the bat of Brown and ran over the third-base bag to double up
Casey-May Huff.
Kayla Gomness pitched her second complete game of the weekend for UCA in improving to 15-15. She struck out two batters and walked one on 101 pitches.
The Wildcats conclude their regular-season next weekend at home vs. Stephen F. Austin. ACU and the Ladyjacks play a 5 p.m. doubleheader Friday and a single game Saturday at noon. ACU's senior class will be recognized prior to Saturday's game.
