21 May 2025 Bears fall to Hatters in ASUN opener

DELAND, Fla. — The University of Central Arkansas Bears led the host Stetson Hatters 2-0 early in Tuesday’s ASUN Championship opening game, but the defending champions came back and took advantage of four UCA errors to take a 10-2 victory in the tournament opener.

The Bears, the fourth seed from the ASUN Gold Division, will now face an elimination game at 5 p.m. (CST) Wednesday against the loser of Tuesday’s late game between Lipscomb and Florida Gulf Coast. The Hatters, the No. 1 seed from the Graphite Division, will face the winner of that game at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The Bears jumped ahead 2-0 in the top of the first inning against Stetson’s left handed ace Jonathan Gonzalez, the ASUN Pitcher of the Year. Senior Tanner Leonard had a one-out single and stole second base. Sophomore left fielder Zeb Allen was hit by a pitch before freshman shortstop Nate Negre delivered a two-run double to the gap in right center for a 2-0 lead.

The Bears held the Hatters off the board until a series of defensive miscues in the third inning, coupled with five Stetson base hits, put UCA in a 6-2 hole. Stetson threatened again in the fourth inning but UCA senior right fielder Preston Curtis threw a one-hop strike to the plate and freshman catcher Carter Alexander tagged out Stetson’s Salvadore Alvarez for the third out of the inning.

The Bears, who reached the semifinals a year ago in their first ASUN tournament appearance, did it again in the fifth when freshman third baseman Noah Goodshield fielded a ground ball and threw out Landon Moran at the plate. Senior reliever Perry Titlow then struck out a pair of batters to end the inning.

The Hatters, who improved to 20-8 at home on the season, did add another run in the seventh on a solo home run by right fielder Jordan Taylor. They added two more on wild pitches in the inning to make it a 10-2 final. Stetson out-hit UCA 12-8 and did not commit an error. UCA starter Charlie Christensen took the loss, despite allowing just 6 hits and 2 earned runs. 

Negre, named to the ASUN All-Freshman team on Monday, finished 2 for 4 with a pair of RBI, while Allen, a sophomore from Fort Smith and an All-Freshman selection a year ago and third-team All-ASUN choice for the second straight season, was 2 for 3 with a run scored.