The UCA softball (7-2) team kicked off the LSU Tiger Classic with two consecutive wins on Friday, Feb. 17, along with a win on Saturday, marking the best opening to a softball season in UCA history at 7-0.
The Bears faced off against Ohio University (2-6) in their first game of the tournament, securing a 2-0 shutout victory against the Bobcats.
Junior outfielder Jenna Wildeman led off for the Bears, getting on base with a first-pitch single, then advancing to second due to a throwing error from the Bobcats.
Madi Young, a junior infielder for the Bears, drove in Wildeman with a run batted in, driving in the first run of the tournament for UCA.
The Bears gained their second run in the fourth inning when freshman infielder McKayla Betts raced to home plate on account of a wild pitch.
The second game of the day was against the University of Utah (7-3) , and the Bears once again played shutdown defense, winning the contest 2-0.
UCA began the top of the first inning at-bat, going three up, three down.
The bats were hot for the Utes, loading the bases with just one out, however, the Bears escaped the inning untouched, thanks to a double-play at second, escorting them out of the inning.
Central Arkansas registered their first hit of the game in the sixth inning, with sophomore infielder Kylie Griffin getting a first-pitch single.
Wildeman followed this up with a single of her own, and the two runners were moved into scoring position by a strategic sacrifice bunt by junior outfielder Tremere Harris.
Young thumped a single that scored both Griffin and Wildeman, making the score 2-0 Bears.
This proved to be all the offense needed for a UCA victory, as junior pitcher Kayla Beaver eliminated the final six batters for the Utes, marking her second shutout of the season.
On day two of the tournament, Central Arkansas softball history was rewritten, with Jenna Wildeman stealing her 103rd base of her college career, setting a new record for stolen bases at UCA.
The Bears continued their winning streak going into the first game of day two, conquering Ohio University once again, this time 5-4.
Wildeman scored the first run of the game, getting on base with her first at-bat of the game, then bolting home on a sacrifice fly from Young.
The Bears jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the second inning, with freshman utility player Erin Michael and junior infielder Josie Willingham both scoring runs.
After a few scoreless innings, the offense started to heat back up for the Bears, adding two more runs in the fifth inning.
Harris got walked on her turn at bat and then proceeded to steal second base, Young then stepped to the plate and belted a double to deliver Harris home.
The Bobcats had a sudden surge of offense in the final inning, scoring four runs, but it was too little, too late, UCA won the close game 5-4.
UCA’s second matchup on day two of the tournament was against the nationally ranked Louisiana State University (10-0), where the Tigers edged out a narrow victory over the Bears 1-0.
Senior pitcher Jordan Johnson was throwing heat for the Bears until the fourth inning when LSU got on base with a single and managed to advance home due to a shaky gather by UCA.
The Bears had a few chances to mount a comeback in the sixth inning, Wildeman got on base with a single but was thrown out at second, and Young hit a single of her own, advancing Harris to second.
However, no runs came of either runner on base and UCA’s historic undefeated streak came to an end.
The Bears faced off with the Tigers once more in the final game of the LSU Tiger Classic on Sunday, Feb. 19, losing 3-1 to the 18th-ranked team in the nation.
UCA drew first blood in the fourth inning, with freshman infielder McKayla Betts scoring the first run of the game thanks to an RBI from junior infielder Josie Willingham.
But LSU put up two runs in the bottom of the fourth, while adding one more in the sixth, and the Bears weren’t able to generate any offense in the final inning to mount the comeback.
The Bears will finally play a home game at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24 against Mississippi Valley State at Farris Field.