Bears rally to take series win

“What they’ve demonstrated is they have a lot of fight, and it’s a team full of high-character kids. And so, you know, they do a really good job of playing the game the right way regardless of the scoreboard or their own personal circumstance.” UCA baseball Coach Nick Harlan

UCA 9, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 8

CONWAY — Nick Harlan threw his team in the deep end last weekend, and he saw the benefit on Saturday.

The University of Central Arkansas faced LSU and the Virginia Military Institute twice each to open its season, losing three of the four games.

Saturday, those same battle-tested Bears defeated Southern Illinois 9-8 at Bear Stadium to clinch the series victory.

“What they’ve demonstrated is they have a lot of fight, and it’s a team full of high-character kids,” Harlan said of his team. “And so, you know, they do a really good job of playing the game the right way regardless of the scoreboard or their own personal circumstance.”

UCA (3-4) fell behind twice Saturday, and both times the Bears responded in kind to Southern Illinois’ (4-2) offensive outburst.

In the third inning, the Salukis struck first when Jake Allgeyer’s double to right field drive drove in a run, before Allgeyer scored on the next at-bat to make it 2-0.

The Bears matched that in the bottom of the frame thanks to Drew Sturgeon’s single to right field drove in AJ Mendolia and Tanner Leonard.

In the fifth inning, Southern Illinois scored four runs on a Trey Cutchen RBI single, a Cole Yearsley sacrifice-fly and a Anthony Kodama double to take a 6-2 lead.

In the bottom of the frame, UCA again matched with a Sturgeon sacrifice fly, a bases-loaded Bryce Cermenelli hit by pitch and a Mason King two-run single.

“Whether they have success or not, they move on quick and get into the next competitive moment and do a good job with it,” Harlan said about the mentality of his team. “So we always have a chance.”

The Bears took the lead for the first time in the seventh inning when King singled to left field and drove in two runs thanks to a fielding error by Yearsley. Leonard laid down a sacrifice bunt to drive in Reid Bowman in the next at-bat, giving UCA a 9-6 lead.

Southern Illinois scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning, on a bases-loaded hit by pitch and a groundout by Kodama, but reliever Bryce Parlin struck out pinch-hitter Jackson McCoy with two runners on for his first save.

All nine starters for UCA recorded a hit Saturday and seven scored a run. Freshman Zeb Allen and King recorded two hits each. King led the Bears with four RBI, while Sturgeon had three.

Without the steady presence of Kolby Johnson in the lineup for the first time in years, Harlan is excited to see who steps up to fill the void of the program great.

“We have some kids in the program that will get there, and they’re gaining experience,” Harlan said. “I think you look up three quarters through the season, and you’re gonna see some atbats like that. I think the last two days were an indication of that. The last two days, we walked more than we struck out, and that’s something that we went back to work on after the first weekend.”

UAPB 15, ARKANSAS BAPTIST 1

Four players had multiple hits for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff as it took the series from its in-state foe at the Torii Hunter Complex in Pine Bluff.

Terry Gavin, Ben VanMaanen, Courtney Allen and Malachi Jeffries all had two hits each for UAPB (5-2), which used a five-run second inning to bust open the game. Allen, Jeffries and Carlos Rodriguez-Velez each drove in a pair of runs for the Golden Lions.

Jaedon Willis was also strong on the mound for UAPB. The junior allowed 2 hits, struck out 5 and walked 3 in 5 1/3 innings. He gave up his lone run in the top of the third.

Henry Gonzalez and Jonathan Adams recorded a hit each to lead Arkansas Baptist (0-3).

ILLINOIS STATE 14, ARKANSAS LITTLE-ROCK 5

Illinois State used a four-run third inning and three-run the fourth, five and sixth innings to take a commanding lead on its way to a victory over Arkansas Little-Rock on Saturday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field in Little Rock.

Tyrelle Chadwick picked up his first win of the year for Illinois State (2-3), striking out 4 batters and giving up just 4 hits in 5 innings of work. UALR (3-3) starting pitcher Hoss Brewer lasted 3 2/3, giving up 7 hits and 5 earned runs in the loss.

Judah Morris smacked a pair of doubles and drove in two runs on the day for the Redbirds. Skyler Trevino hit his first home run of the season for the Trojans with a solo shot to right field in the bottom of the sixth.

ARKANSAS STATE 7, LINDENWOOD 6

Arkansas State built up a 7-1 lead and survived a dramatic ninth inning comeback attempt to remain undefeated with a victory over Lindenwood on Saturday evening at Tomlinson Stadium in Jonesboro.

Austen Jaslove continued his early season hot streak, hitting his fourth and fifth home runs of the season in the win. Jaslove hit a two-run homer in the second inning and a three-run shot in the eighth to give the Red Wolves the 7-1 advantage.

Arkansas State (7-0) would need every run it scored as Lindenwood (1-5) scored five runs in the top of the ninth to pull within a single run. Aside from the two home runs from Jaslove, Cason Tollett also went yard for the Red Wolves on a solo shot in the sixth inning.

Arlon Butts picked up the win for Arkansas State, while Eli Brown was credited for the loss for Lindenwood despite striking out eight batters in the game.