CONWAY, Ark. – Central Arkansas used a four-run, second-inning rally to overcome an early deficit and thwart Missouri State's bid for a three-game series sweep with a 5-2 victory over the Bears Sunday afternoon.
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Colby Potvin cleared the bases with a two-out, three-run double in the decisive rally, giving the UCA mound trio of Mark Moyer, Brad Verel and Conner Williams all the run support they would need in notching their first victory of the season. Moyer (1-0) held the Bears (2-1) in check over the first five innings, allowing just a two-out, RBI single by Dakota Kotowski in the first inning and a Greg Ziegler solo shot in the fifth. Verel and Williams then combined to blank the Bears on three hits over the final four innings to secure the decision.
Held to a total of two runs over the first two games of the series—both Missouri State victories—the home-standing Bears snapped their early-season dry spell at the plate with a four-run second inning to seize the upper hand. UCA's Ben Ayala started the rally by belting a two-strike offering from Peyton Carson (0-1) over the wall in left-center for his second game-tying home run in as many games. Next, Rylan Meek drew a walk, and Cole Fiori kept the momentum going with a well-placed bunt single to the right side of the MSU infield.
Carson issued a second walk to load the bases, but came back to fan Kolby Johnson for the second out of the inning. The MSU lefty quickly worked the count to two strikes, but Potvin jumped all over his next offering and drove a bases-clearing double to the wall in right to hand UCA its first lead of the weekend.
Ziegler, who recorded his first collegiate hit with a second-inning double, pulled MSU to within two runs with a one-out, solo blast to left in the fifth.
But UCA countered with a two-out rally in the home half of the fifth, getting a double from Meek and an RBI single by Josh Ragan to reclaim the three-run margin. Following the Ziegler homer, Moyer and Verel would combine to retire eight of the next nine MSU hitters to send the game to the eighth.
The Bears mounted their best offensive threat in the top of the eighth against Williams, as Grant Wood and Ben Whetstone delivered back-to-back one-out singles to bring Kotowksi to the plate representing the potential tying run. But Williams got the Bears' right-fielder to swing and miss at a third strike, then coaxed a come-backer off the bat of Drake Baldwin to snuff out the threat.
Williams closed out his first save with a pair of strikeouts in the ninth, after Mason Hull lined a base hit to left to start the inning.
Ayala led UCA's 10-hit attack with a 3-for-4 day at the dish, while Potvin and Fiori added two-hit performances for the Bears (1-2).
Wood and Ziegler led MSU with two-hit games, and Kotowski recorded an RBI in his third straight game in the series. Sophomore reliever Matt Russell made his first mound appearance since May 6, 2018 with 2.0 innings, over which he allowed one run on two hits. Nate Witherspoon and Forrest Barnes turned in scoreless relief appearances as well.
Up next, the Bears will take part in the SAF Dirt Classic next weekend in Tennessee, beginning with a 4 p.m. contest Thursday (Feb. 20) at Austin Peay in Clarksville. MSU will also square off against Belmont (Feb. 21) and Lipscomb (Feb. 22) in Nashville, before concluding the weekend at Middle Tennessee (Feb. 23) in Murfreesboro.
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