The University of Central Arkansas baseball team swept its weekend series against the Eastern Kentucky University Colonels, winning all three games at Bear Stadium in Conway April 17-19. 

The Bears (22-18, 10-8 ASUN) enjoyed a dominant weekend at their home ballpark, outscoring EKU (10-30, 4-14 ASUN) 29-11 over three games. 

UCA didn’t waste time finding success at the plate, as on Friday night the Bears responded to an EKU run in the top of the first with a massive ten run inning in their first at bat of the weekend. 

The opening inning onslaught came courtesy of six hits, two errors and two hit batters in the inning, and was capped off by a two run blast by graduate infielder Jagger Schattle to put Central Arkansas ahead 10-1 after the first frame.

The Bears would push a run across in each of the next two innings to total 12 runs in the opening game of the series. 

Despite not scoring after the third inning, the Bears would hold the Colonels to just a single run in top of the fifth, coming away with a 12-2 run-rule victory in just seven innings. 

Junior pitcher Denver Hamilton continued his undefeated season on the mound, picking up his sixth win after pitching a complete game and allowing just two runs over seven innings on seven hits and two hit batters. 

Offensively, junior infielder Parker Gwynn led the Bears with three hits and two runs scored in four at bats.

The bats cooled off for both teams early Saturday afternoon, with neither team able to push a run across in the first three frames. 

Central Arkansas broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth, as Schattle scored from third on a groundout by sophomore infielder Jack Runsick to put UCA ahead 1-0

In the bottom of the fifth, freshman outfielder Mark Ross doubled the Bears lead with a solo bomb to left field, putting Central Arkansas up 2-0

Runsick would follow up the homer from Ross with a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth to increase the UCA lead to 4-0.

After EKU got on the board with two runs in the top of the seventh, the Bears responded with a game high three-run inning in the bottom half. 

Junior outfielder Zeb Allen drove in a run on an RBI single up the middle, before Schattle drove in two more with a single to right field to extend the Bear advantage to 7-2

Each team would tally a run in the eighth inning, before senior pitcher Hunter Alexander closed the door on the Colonels in the ninth for an 8-3 victory, taking the first two games in the series. 

Redshirt sophomore pitcher Jake Jones earned his third win of the year on the mound, pitching five scoreless innings on just three hits and two walks. 

After taking the first two games without much resistance, UCA would have to fight from behind to earn the sweep on Sunday. 

The Bears would surrender two runs in the top of the first to give EKU an early 0-2 advantage.

After working to load the bases in the second, graduate student catcher Casey Shipley brought a run home after being hit by a pitch, before Allen smashed his 26th career home run well beyond the right field wall for a grand slam that put the Bears ahead 5-2.

UCA would follow up the five run inning with two more in the third to open up a commanding 7-2 lead. 

Eastern Kentucky would respond with their own two run inning in the top of the fifth, before Runsick earned a run back with an RBI triple to right center to bring the score to 8-4.

EKU would bring a run home in both the sixth and seventh innings to shrink the deficit to 8-6 late.

After Shipley homered to left in the bottom of the eighth to put UCA ahead 9-6, Alexander would earn his second save in as many days to secure the sweep for the Bears.

With the save, Alexander tied the Central Arkansas program record for saves in a career. 

The Bears will continue Atlantic Sun play this weekend, as they make the trip to Louisville, Kentucky, for a three game series against the Bellarmine University Knights at Knights Field. 

All UCA baseball games can be steamed on ESPN+.