Thanks to their five runs in the first inning, the University of Arkansas Razorbacks defeated the UCA Bears softball team 6-4 at Farris Fields on April 5.
A record-setting crowd of 1,219 gathered to watch the Bears face the Razorbacks at the free 7 p.m. game.
The crowd, which filled both sets of bleachers and covered the field’s surrounding hills with spectators in lawn chairs, saw an exciting first inning.
At the top of the first, Razorback senior Linnie Milkin hit her third grand slam of the season, adding four more runs.
The Bears spent the rest of the game trying to overcome the top-10 team’s hefty 5-0 head start.
At the bottom of the fourth, redshirt junior Tylar Vernon put the Bears on the board 6-1 with a home run, which helped the team gain momentum.
“Tylar Vernon played well behind the plate with a home run, and Jaylee Engelkes had three [runs batted in].” coach Jenny Parsons said.
UCA added another run in the next inning thanks to a double to right-center from redshirt sophomore Jaylee Engelkes, allowing freshman Tremere Harris to move from first to home.
Neither team scored during the sixth inning, leaving the score 6-2 until the bottom of the seventh.
In the game’s last plays, the Bears added two more runs after Engelkes hit another double to right-center while Harris was on second and redshirt freshman Jenna Wildeman was on third.
“I did expect a great turnout for the crowd. My players have been in big situations all season. I don’t think it intimidated them, but we didn’t play well in the first inning. Settled down after that,” Parsons said.
Freshman Kylie Griffin said the first inning raised their nerves, but the team fought back until the end.
“We gathered ourselves, started to settle in, and started chipping away each inning,” Griffin said. “I think figuring out how to capitalize on mistakes and getting timely hits when runners are in scoring position are a few things that we could have done better during that game.”
Since the loss, the Bears have won a three-game set played at home against the Bellarmine Knights on April 9-10.
Griffin said the Bears realized how important the weekend’s series was in getting them back on track after losing their last four games.
“We made some adjustments in practice to prepare for the weekend and were confident in knowing if we played to the level we are capable of, we could get the series win,” Griffin said.
The Bears have a 22-15 overall record and a 13-2 home game record, including the loss against the University of Arkansas and the three wins against Bellarmine.
The team will travel to Richmond, Kentucky, to play a three-game set against the Eastern Kentucky University softball team April 15-16.
The Bears will play the Razorbacks again on their turf in Fayetteville on April 25 at 5 p.m.