The Central Arkansas Bears (12-15, 4-5 ASUN) played a three-game series against the Jacksonville Dolphins (13-14, 7-2 ASUN) on March 28-30, dropping two out of three conference series.
The first game of the series was played March 28, where the Bears lost 6-5.
The Bears were down 4-0 going into the bottom of the fourth inning.
Freshman outfielder Zeb Allen started the run for UCA, hitting a single to help junior outfielder Drew Sturgeon score, 4-1.
In the fifth inning, senior catcher/infielder A.J. Mendolia grounded out to shortstop, but allowed senior infielder Mason King to score, making it a 4-2 game.
In the bottom of the seventh, junior catcher Casey Shipley scored off a wild pitch, making it 4-3. Then, junior infielder/catcher Bryce Cermenelli doubled, giving King and Mendolia the chance to score, UCA gaining the lead, 5-4.
Sophomore pitcher Hunter Alexander allowed the Dolphins to gain the lead after Jacksonville freshman infielder Justin Nadeau singled, allowing graduate student outfielder Will Gale to score, scoring the victory for Jacksonville, 6-5.
Alexander earned his second loss of the season, while junior pitcher Tommy Allman scored his first win of the season and redshirt freshman pitcher Isaac Williams obtained his fifth save of the year.
In the second game of the series, UCA lost 15-1 in a mercy ruling.
Junior pitcher Payton Windham started for the Bears, allowing three runs and only pitching one inning. The Bears then pitched four different pitchers after Windham, combining for 11 earned runs allowed.
This is the baseball Bears’ first time to lose a game in a mercy rule.
Windham received his second loss of the year and junior pitcher/outfielder Richard Long earned his second win of the year.
The Dolphins had 13 hits compared with UCA’s three hits.
For the final game of the series, the Bears came back from a 9-1 deficit to win 11-10.
In the top of the fourth, Jacksonville redshirt sophomore outfielder Clay Hodges struck the ball out to center field, advancing Nadeau to score, giving Jacksonville its largest lead of the game 9-1.
The scoring run for the Bears started in the bottom of the fifth, scoring six runs with the help of Drew Sturgeon hitting a grand slam, making it his fifth home run of the year.
In the bottom of the seventh, UCA hit two home runs, one from sophomore outfielder Kade Seldomridge and one from junior infielder Jagger Schattle, giving the Bears the lead, 10-9.
The ninth inning was big for both teams as Jacksonville tied the game 10-10.
Shipley then popped the ball out to center field, advancing junior outfielder Preston Curtis to walk it off and give the Bears the win 11-10.
The Bears will next play in a three-game series against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (12-14, ASUN 5-4) in Fort Myers, Florida, on April 5-7.