CONWAY, Ark. _ For the second consecutive Saturday, the University of Central Arkansas Bears won in their last at bat, this time in the 12th inning on Saturday.
The Bears strung together a walk and a single and scored the game-winner on a fielding error in a 5-4 victory over the Southeastern Lousiana Lions at a chilly Bear Stadium.
UCA (11-3, 2-6) trailed 4-3 and had to rally in the bottom of the ninth just to send the game to extra innings. The Bears, who were 0-2 in extra-inning games this season, got a one-out, RBI double by senior shortstop Kyle Prevett to tie it at 4-4. Senior Zack Dickson set up the score with a walk.
Both bullpens did their job in the 10th and 11th innings before the Bears finally got the break they needed. After Jordan Getchell grounded out for the first out of the 12th, catcher Michael Marietta drew a walk. Designated hitter Jake Fuller singled to left field and Marietta moved up to second. Right fielder Greg Noble then hit a 1-0 pitch on the ground toward SLU second baseman Brock Hebert, who let the ball skitter under his glove into right field.
Marietta never stopped running coming around third and beat the throw to the plate.
UCA’s trio of pitchers, Ryan Angus, Andy Steinmetz and Blake Payne, held the high-powered SLU offense to just nine hits, none for extra bases. Payne (3-3) got the victory, throwing two hitless innings and striking out two. Angus, the junior starter, went eight innings, allowing 8 hits and 4 runs while striking out 3. Steinmetz turned in solid two innings of middle relief, allowing 1 hit and walking 1.
The Lions (15-8, 5-3) took an early 1-0 lead but UCA answered with two runs in the bottom of the third. Noble reached on an error and Dickson had an infield single. Prevett’s sacrifice bunt moved both runners and Ethan Harris’ sacrifice fly scored Noble. Jonathan Davis then doubled just inside the left-field line for a 2-0 UCA lead.
UCA, which knocked off Lamar last Saturday in the bottom of the ninth inning, added another run in the fifth when Harris tripled to the gap in right center and scored on a throwing error by Hebert. The Lions re-took the lead with two runs in the eighth inning.
After sending the game to extra innings, the Bears left the bases loaded in the 10th inning against SLU reliever Josh Janway when Jason Greenleaf came on for the final out. In the top of the 11th, SLU got a baserunner to third but Payne got Cass Hargis to ground out to end the threat. Both teams then went down in order in consecutive at-bats until the Bears won it in the 12th.
Dickson went 2 for 3 for the Bears, while Harris was 2 for 5 with an RBI and Davis had a pair of RBIs. Hebert led the Lions at the plate, going 3 for 6 with an RBI, but also committed three of SLU’s four errors.
The series finale will be at 1 p.m. Sunday.
