12 Mar 2025 Bears drop game 2 to Purple Aces

CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas Bears threatened in the ninth inning but had the tying run thrown out at the plate in a 6-5 loss to the Evansville Purple Aces in Game 2 at Bear Stadium on March 8.

Evansville, which evened the series at 1-1, went ahead 6-5 in the eighth inning on three hits and a balk. UCA then got a one-out walk by freshman Blaine French and a single up the middle by senior right fielder Preston Curtis in the ninth. Jagger Schattle then singled to right field about Harrison Taubert fielded the ball and threw French out at the plate to end it.

UCA totaled 13 hits, including four by Curtis and two each by French, Nathan Negre and Sam Reynolds. French, a junior transfer from San Joaquin Delta Community College, and Reynolds, a redshirt freshman from Hattieville, Ark., had back-to-back solo home runs in the fourth inning.

UCA also got a solo run in the second inning on an RBI single by senior Tanner Leonard. The Bears added another run in the fifth when Negre doubled and eventually scored on a sacrifice bunt by French, and another on a wild pitch in the seventh.

UCA starter Jacob Pannell went 5.0 innings, striking out 3 and allowing 3 earned runs. Coleman MacRae pitched the final four innings, striking out 5 and allowing 3 earned runs.