Bears Take Down Houston Baptist as Kuhn Picks Up 500th Win

Courtesy University of Central Arkansas Athletics 

The Central Arkansas Softball team salvaged their series against Houston Baptist on Wednesday, taking down the Huskies 11-5 to avoid the sweep. The victory also served as the 500th victory in the career of head coach David Kuhn.

A passed ball and a throwing error gave Central Arkansas (21-11, 5-4 SLC) a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but Houston Baptist (11-10, 5-4 SLC) grabbed four runs of their own in the bottom of the frame to take a 4-2 lead.

The Huskies added a run in the bottom of the second to push their lead to 5-2, but from that point forward it was all about the Bears. Central Arkansas scored three runs in the third inning to tie the game, before adding two in the fourth and four in the fifth to put the game out of reach.

The Bears collected 10 hits in the game, scattered between eight players. Shortstop Melissa Bryant was 2-for-3 with a walk, scoring three runs and driving in three more. Bryant was hit by a pitch, hit her tenth double of the season, and collected her second home run. Left fielder Stephanie Lasley was the other Central Arkansas player with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored. She also collected a pair of stolen bases. Third baseman Tiffany Roby turned in a 1-for-4 effort, driving in three runs and scoring two more. She belted her fourth homer of the season.

Kelsie Armstrong (14-7) picked up her seventeenth complete game of the year, allowing five runs on nine hits and a walk in seven innings of work. She struck out four Huskies. Sarah Shotton (2-4) took the loss for Houston Baptist, giving up seven runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings of work. She struck out two Bears. Lori Earl worked 1.1 innings of relief, allowing four runs on one hit, two walks, and two strikeouts. Keely Shuler finished the game for the Huskies, giving up two hits in 2.1 innings of relief.

The win was the 500th of Kuhn’s coaching career and the 132nd of his UCA career. Prior to taking over the program at Central Arkansas, Kuhn spent 10 years at Delta State, where he picked up the first 368 wins of his career.

Central Arkansas gets the upcoming weekend off. The Bears will play host to the University of Tulsa next Wednesday, with the teams playing a single game at 5:00 pm. The Bears will then host SLC opponent McNeese State for three games next weekend. The teams will play a double-header on Friday, March 29th beginning at 5:00 pm before wrapping the series up with a single game on Saturday the 30th at 11:00 am.