Central Arkansas, the No. 5 seed in the Southland Conference Tournament, lost 12-2 in seven innings to top seed Sam Houston State on Thursday in Sugar Land, Texas.
UCA (29-26) faces No. 8 seed Stephen F. Austin at noon today in an elimination game. Sam Houston State (39-19) will face the winner of that game at 7 p.m.
Sam Houston State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Zach Smith’s RBI single. The Bearkats extended their lead to 6-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Jaxxon Grisham scored on a fielding error, Taylor Beene hit a two-run single and Clayton Harp (3 for 5) had an RBI double. Harp scored on another UCA throwing error later in the inning.
UCA cut the lead to 6-1 in the bottom of the second inning on Logan Preston’s RBI single, which scored Brandon Montalvo.
Sam Houston State added two runs in the third and one run in the fifth for a 9-1 lead. The Bearkats stretched the lead to 12-1 in the top of the seventh inning before a 15-minute rain delay.
Tyler Langley hit an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning, but that was it for the Bears.
Langley and Montalvo each had two hits to lead the Bears, who were outhit 15-7.