Bears struggle in finale, fall to sixth in ASUN standings

CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas softball team outscored North Alabama 10-5 in a three-game series this past weekend.

The Bears racked up 18 hits to the Lions’ 12. UCA starter Julia Petty even threw a five-inning no-hitter in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

But despite that, North Alabama left Conway with two wins out of three games thanks to a 3-1 victory Sunday afternoon at Farris Field.

“With the way we pitched all weekend, to go 1-2, does not make you feel good,” UCA Coach Jenny Parsons said. “I’ll give some credit to [North Alabama pitcher Alivia Wilkin], she does a good job mixing the ball around, but we should have at least made some adjustments this last game.”

In Wilkin’s two games against the Bears (17-24, 8-7 ASUN), both wins for the Lions, she held hitters to 10 hits, 2 runs and stranded 10 baserunners over 14 innings.

Six runs and four hits of UCA’s weekend came in the fifth inning of the second game as it run-ruled North Alabama (28-14, 9-6) with Petty’s no-hitter.

Petty earned the start in Sunday’s game after that performance but almost immediately found herself in trouble. The junior Northwest Florida State transfer induced a flyout from the first batter she faced but hit the next, then walked the third on five pitches to put two runners on.

North Alabama’s Hailey Jones drove one run in on a double off the center-field wall, and Haven Kirby made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly.

“She pitched really well, but she has a tendency to put herself in some bad situations,” Parsons said of Petty’s outing.

UCA’s early season struggles came mostly from opposing offenses taking advantage of the inexperienced Petty and Oklahoma State transfer Bailie Runner in the circle. That duo has allowed more than four runs once since March 19, but it came in a 9-7 win over Stetson.

“Earlier in the year, we were getting our teeth pounded in,” Parsons said. “Now, we’re pitching and playing solid defense … and we didn’t get the result that we wanted. That’s what’s frustrating.”

The current issue, one that’s reared its ugly head at times all season, is the lack of production the Bears are seeing from the bottom four hitters in their lineup.

UCA’s Nos. 1-5 hitters combined for five of its six hits Sunday and 7 of 12 Saturday. When players lower in the lineup like right fielder Gracie St. Hilaire, who recorded two hits in the 8-0 win Saturday, are producing, the Bears have a formidable lineup. In Sunday’s loss, the bottom four hitters combined to go 1 of 11 with three runners left on base.

But even Parsons will say it’s not all on those hitters at the bottom of the lineup. The top five — Kylie Griffin, Renee Christian, Tremere Harris, Lilly Hood and Morgan Nelson — each recorded one hit in the loss, but they also left three runners on base and were a combined 5-for-15.

After the first inning, when Griffin’s leadoff single resulted in a run thanks to a Harris sacrifice bunt, the Bears did not record more than one hit in any inning.

“We’re streaky,” Parsons said. “If the top of our order starts hitting and starts getting runs around the bases, then the bottom of the order will find a way to get some hits. We are not hitting from six through [nine], we’re not hitting consistently in those spots.

“There’s some pressure there, and it’s been there all year for [the top five hitters], but I have faith. Gracie St. Hilaire has hit pretty well. She’s hitting .250. That’s decent in the six-hole. We’ve had a revolving door in the seven-hole. … But we need to get hits with runners on base. We just didn’t do that this weekend.”

UCA and North Alabama entered the weekend, and Sunday’s game, tied in the ASUN standings for fifth place. After losing two of three games, the Bears sit in sixth, two games ahead of Queens.

With three weekend series left, the defending conference champion Bears will travel to Lipscomb and Kennesaw State each of the next two weekends before finishing their regular season at home against Bellarmine.

“I think if we just come and play our game and play the way we are, I think that we will compete and we’ll be fine,” Parsons said. “But we can’t put ourselves behind the 8-ball. 8-7 is not where we want to be, but we still have an opportunity in front of us.”